say,  insured. 

Obituary.— We  are  sorry  to  announce7  this 
week  the  death,  at  Framingham,  Mass.,  July 
30,  of  Dr.  Edward  Lewis  Sturtevant,  the  well- 
known  expert  in  scientific  agriculture,  whose 
name  some  years  ago  appeared  not  infrequently 
as  a  correspondent  in  these  columns.  He  was 
born  in  Boston,  in  1842,  graduated  from  Bow- 
doin  college  in  1863,  served  for  a  time  in  the 
civil  war,  then  went  through  the  Harvard  Medi- 
cal School,  settling  finally  at  South  Framing- 
ham,  Mass.,  where  he  devoted  himself  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  on  a  large  scale,  including  the 
more  or  less  extensive  breeding  of  dairy  cattle. 
He  was  associated,  for  a  while  at  least,  with  his 
brother  Joseph  N.  Sturtevant,  their  first  pub- 
lished letters  in  1871  and  1873  being  signed 
Sturtevant  Bros.  They  were  then  interested  in 
breeding  (and  defending)  Ayrshire  cattle,  on 
which  he  wrote  a  monograph  in  1875,  entitled 
"  The  Dairy  Cow."  From  1871  to  and  includ- 
ing 1885,  only  two  volumes  of  the  COUNTRY 
GBNTLBMAN  (for  '78  and  '79)  are  without  con- 
tributions from  Dr.  Sturtevant.  In  1881  he 
became  the  first  director  of  the  New- York  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station  at  Geneva,  where 
he  remained  for  six  years.  He  was  a  fellow  of 
the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Science,  and  in  1887  was  president  of  the 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Agricultural 
Science. 


THE    DAIRY  COW. 


AYRSHIR 


EED  OF  CATTLE. 

AV 

^ 


E.  LEWIS   STURTEVANT,   M.  D., 

AND 

JOSEPH  N.  STURTEVANT, 

OF 

WACSHAKCM  FABM,  BOOTH  FRAMINGHAM,  MASS. 


WITH  AN  APPENDIX 

ON 

AYRSHIRE,  JERSEY,  AND  DUTCH  MILKS : 

THEIR  FORMATION  AND  PECULIARITIES. 


BOSTON: 
A.   WILLIAMS    AND    COMPANY, 

COBNBR  WASHINGTON  AND  SCHOOL  STS. 

1875. 


JMain  Lib. 
A~fte    J5epL 
COPYRIGHT. 

E.  LEWIS  STTJRTEVANT,  M.  D.,  AND  JOSEPH  N.  STURTETANT. 
A.  D.  1875. 


BOSTON : 

MUDGE  AND  SON,  PRINTERS, 
34  SCHOOL  STREET. 


"BKUTE  foster-mother,  mild  of  humankind, 
Whether  in  farm-yard  ruminant  reclined 
At  eve,  with  richest  pasturage  distent, 
Emblem  of  rural  quiet  and  content ; 
From  their  secretions  sweet  their  udders  freed, 
Or  grazing  patiently  on  hill  or  mead, 
No  beast  or  tame  or  wild,  O  gentle  cow, 
Can  sweeter  thoughts  recall  to  mind  than  thou. 

"The  golden  butter  is  thy  produce,  and 
Thou  feedest  all  the  nurseries  of  the  land 
With  streams  nectareous,  health-bestowing,  sweet, 
When  iced,  a  luscious  drink  in  summer's  heat ; 
In  the  old  mythic  heaven  of  the  North 
The  cow  Adumbla  prominent  stood  forth. 
When  summer  suns  extend  their  farewell  beams, 
At  eve,  what  pastoral  music  sweeter  seems 
Than  the  cow's  lowings  when  she  hastens  home, 
While  clouds  of  insects  round  her  sport  and  hum  ; 
Her  breath  is  then  most  odorous  indeed, 
Full  of  the  scent  of  hillside  and  of  mead  ; 
Inhaling  it  the  milkmaid's  cheeks  can  show 
A  bloom  such  as  cosmetics  can't  bestow." 


258070 


CONTENTS. 


I.    GENERAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE. 

PAGE 

THE  AYRSHIRE  Cow  IN  GENERAL 11 

As  A  MILKING  ANIMAL 24 

As  A  BUTTER  PRODUCER 46 

As  A  CHEESE  PRODUCER 53 

MEAT 64 

OPINIONS  OF  THEIR  WORTH 69 

THEIR  ADAPTABILITY 68 

THE  IDEAL  AYRSHIRE  Cow      . 70 

THE  AYRSHIRE  BULL 91 

H.    HISTORY. 

SCOTLAND  AND  ITS  PAST 99 

WHITE  FOREST  BREED  OF  CATTLE 106 

COUNTY  OF  AYRSHIRE 123 

DOCUMENTARY  HISTORY  OF  ORIGIN  OF  AYRSHIRE  CATTLE         .  137 

ORIGIN  OF  AYRSHIRE  CATTLE • .       .       .145 

PROGRESS  OF  THEIR  IMPROVEMENT 149 

III.    LOCAL. 

IMPORPERS  AND  IMPORTATIONS 157 

PEDIGREE  AND  THE  HERD  BOOK 182 

LIST  OF  IMPORTED  PRIZE  AYRSHIRES 195 

LIST  OF  WOOD-CUTS  OF  IMPORTED  AYRSHIRES     ....  196 

PEDIGREES  OF  ILLUSTRATED  ANIMALS 199 

APPENDIX. 

MILK  :  ITS  FORMATION  AND  PECULIARITIES,  ETC.        .        .        .203 
AYRSHIRE  MILK. 
JERSEY  MILK. 
AMERICAN  HOLSTEIN  MILK. 

CREAM   .                                                                                           .  240 


I. 

GENERAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE. 


IN  this  portion  of  our  book  we  propose  to  present 
the  Ayrshire  cow  to  the  reader  in  her  various  appear- 
ances and  uses. 

Our  first  chapter  will  tell  what  the  Ayrshire  cow 
is,  presenting  extraneous  matter  only  as  illustrating 
this  feature ;  in  the  three  following  divisions  will  be 
given  the  statements  of  her  products,  so  far  as  is 
known  to  us ;  our  fifth  chapter  deals  with  the  testi- 
mony of  her  peculiar  merits,  while  the  following  one 
treats  the  question  of  adaptability. 

In  the  chapter  on  the  ideal  animal  which  naturally 
closes  our  first  section,  we  have  aimed  to  give  the 
Ayrshire  cow  as  she  may  become,  founding  our 
judgment  on  the  teachings  of  nature  and  reason, 
with  the  attest  of  careful  observation. 
2 


AYRSHIRE.  11 


AYRSHIRES. 


MR.  M'CoMBiE,  of  Tillyfour,  when  called  upon 
to  read  a  paper  before  the  Chamber  of  Agriculture, 
could  begin  thus  :  "  My  father  and  grandfather  were 
dealers  in  cattle."  Not  ours  is  this  preparation,  nor 
have  we  "wintered  and  summered"  with  the  Ayr- 
shire, and  heard  her  nightly  breathing  below  our 
straw  bed  in  the  byre,  las  happens  with  many  a 
Scotch  hind.  It  were  rare  good  fortune  that  should 
strike  out  dullness  from  the  mind  of  one  so  familiar 
with  his  daily  care,  and  unite  ideas  and  the  pen  in 
the  single  hand. 

Not  the  less  have  we  thought  of  the  Ayrshire  cow, 
if  we  have  kept  less  near  to  her.  How  many  billows 
are  there,  think  you,  between  her  home  and  ours? 
Answer  this,  and  we  will  tell  you  we  have  braved 
them  all,  in  order  to  study  her  in  her  home. 

Our  plan  is  simply  to  bring  to  your  ear  a  narra- 
tive of  what  is  known  and  thought  respecting  this 
interesting  breed  of  cattle. 

The  County  of  Ayrshire,  in  the  southwest  part  of 
Scotland,  has  given  name  to  a  breed  of  cattle  cele- 
brated for  their  dairy  qualities.  This  county  is  in 
outline  nearly  of  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  concave 


12  AYRSHIEE. 

towards  the  sea  and  convex  on  the  land  side.  Ayr, 
at  the  joining  of  river  to  sea,  the  most  considerable 
town,  is  midway  between  the  northern  and  southern 
extremities,  some  eighty  miles  apart.  Although  the 
seat  of  the  origin  of  the  breed,  as  improved,  is 
placed  to  the  northwestward  of  Ayr,  the  cattle  have 
been  so  long  since  dispersed  over  the  country,  and 
have  been  cultivated  with  such  care,  that  the  best  may 
now  be  found  in  a  region  of  which  no  place  is  much 
above  a  dozen  miles  distant  from  the  home  of  Burns. 

To  offer  a  portrait  of  this  breed,  that  shall  be  true 
to  nature,  is  not  so  easy  a  matter  as  may  at  first  ap- 
pear. While  the  individuals  possess  that  in  common 
which  clearly  portrays  their  kinship,  there  is  withal 
much  of  individuality,  as  marked  by  color,  form,  and 
quality ;  but  none  are  so  different  from  their  type  as 
to  cause  a  good  judge  of  the  stock  to  think  one  a 
member  of  another  breed. 

When  there  is  a  suggestion  of  a  cross,  there  yet 
clings  to  the  Ayrshire  an  indescribable  something, 
an  air,  a  style,  that  sets  her  apart  from  all  others.. 
Words  have  not  the  nice  shades  of  meaning  to  give 
conveyance  to  the  thought. 

Look  at  Rosa  Bonheur's  group,  "A  Morning  in  the 
Highlands."  See  her  brace  of  shelties  resistingly 
led  by  the  Highland  lad.  What  freshness  !  The 
very  spirit  of  nature  is  there. 

•The  serene,  mild  expression  of  the  Short-horn 
comes  of  breeding  ;  nature,  unassisted,  not  often 
gives  it.  It  is  a  subdued,  perhaps  may  become  a 
care-worn  look.  What  a  dead  look  does  the  ill-bred 
native  cow  turn  towards  us  ! 


CHARACTER.  13 

The  Ayrshire  possesses  something  of  the  spirit 
of  the  English  thoroughbred  horse.  With  good 
treatment,  he  shows  a  docile  intelligence,  ready  to 
perform  for  you  all  sorts  of  kindly  offices.  No  horse 
can  you  place  such  dependence  on,  none  so  safe, 
when  well  trained,  as  the  thoroughbred  ;  but  there  is 
fire  enough,  enough  of  nature  in  him,  to  outrun  a 
thousand  of  the  cold-blooded  kind,  and  instincts,  too, 
that  show  that  domestication  has  but  regulated  and 
not  demeaned  him. 

With  all  the  high  breeding  the  Ayrshire  shows, 
she  is  yet  near  to  nature.  Breeding,  as  in  the  Short- 
horn, has  not  made  a  dull  thing  of  the  cow  and  a 
harmless  thing  of  the  bull.  Did  you  ever  see  a  rab- 
bit in  the  forest,  erect  and  listening,  who  has  not  yet 
seen  your  person  but  has  heard  your  step?  There 
are  instincts  and  nerves  here :  enough  to  supply  a 
herd  of  Short-horns. 

The  Ayrshire  has  a  superabundance  of  nerves. 
She  is  ready  to  employ  them  upon  demand,  in  self- 
defence  or  in  self-support ;  she  asks  little  beyond  a 
fair  chance  :  yet  all  this  nature  in  her  is  in  reserve, 
and  she  does  not  use  it  wantonly  to  disqualify  her  to 
be  the  pet  of  the  household.  She  can  the  more 
aptly  accommodate  herself  to  circumstances  and 
make  them  friendly  to  her. 

This  wealth  of  instincts,  all  alive  upon  occasion, 
adapts  her  to  be  appreciative  of  good  treatment,  and 
appeals  to  intelligence  to  accord  it  to  her. 

"If  to  her  share  some  trifling  errors  fall, 
Look  in  her  face  and  you  '11  forget  them  all." 


14  HEADS. 

The  head  is  the  seal  of  character,  and  bears  its 
stamp.  Breeding  does  much  for  it.  From  seeing 
no  other  part  can  one  infer  so  much.  If,  therefore, 
you  wish  to  see  but  one  part  of  the  male,  study  the 
head  above  all ;  in  the  female,  the  head  and  the 
udder  furnish  a  key  to  the  rest. 

Upon  this  point,  Mr.  Henry  Corbet1  has  written 
well.  "  The  shoulder,  no  doubt,  answers  very  much 
for  shape  and  symmetry  and  frame,  but  the  head 
answers  for  everything.  If  you  go  for  breed,  you 
look,  above  all,  to  the  head ;  if  your  aim  be  style  or 
fashion,  you  must  seek  this  in  the  head,  as  nine  times 
in  ten  that  very  accommodating  phrase  known  as 
'  quality '  should  prove  itself  by  a  good  head.  .  .  . 
A  scale  of  points  for  one  or  two  certain  breeds  has 
already  been  drawn  out,  but  in  none  of  these  is  suf- 
ficient importance,  at  least  as  I  am  led  to  think, 
attached  to  the  head  of  an  animal  as  the  main  index 
toNhis  purity  of  blood,  strength  of  constitution,  and 
actual  fitness  for  that  service  for  which  it  is  intend- 
ed. ...  Early  maturity  or  quick  feeding  is  the 
chief  recommendation  of  a  Short-horn  ;  and  so,  when 
we  look  one  in  the  face,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
what  we  want  is,  as  Mr.  Carr  puts  it,  '  a  placidity  and 
composure  of  mind,  a  phlegmatic  disposition  sug- 
gestive of  fattening  propensity.'  In  fact,  a  frisky 
Short-horn  should  be  something  of  an  anomaly. 

"  Not  so  the  Devon.  I  should  myself  have  a  fancy 
for  a  certain  wild  ness  or  boldness  in  the  head  of  a 
pure  North  Devon  ;  and  when  Captain  Davy  says  this 

1  Bath  and  West  of  Eng.  Soc.  Jour.,  quoted  in  Ohio  Ag.  Kept.  1871. 


HEADS.  15 

should  in  many  points  resemble  the  head  of  the  deer, 
he  seems  to  me  to  have  very  aptly  illustrated  his 
subject.  Says  Captain  Davy,  '  The  head  should  be 
small,  with  a  broad,  indented  forehead,  tapering  con- 
siderably towards  the  nostrils ;  the  nose  of  a  creamy 
white ;  the  jaws  clean  and  free  from  flesh ;  the  eye 
bright,  lively,  and  prominent,  encircled  .by  a  deep 
orange-colored  ring  ;  the  ears  thin,  the  horns  of 
the  cow  long,  spreading,  and  gracefully  turned  up. 
.  .  .  The  expression  must  be  gentle  and  intelli- 
gent. .  .  .  The  champion  Hereford  bull  of  this 
day  .  .  .  begins  with  a  somewhat  mean,  small 
head ;  whereas  there  should  be  something  very  noble 
in  the  head  of  a  White-face,  when  seen  at  his  best.' 

"There  is  no  animal  which  tells  more  of  high 
breeding  than  an  Alderney,  or  rather  Jersey-born 
cow.  There  is  a  refined  air  and  carriage,  a  certain 
comely  'presence,'  which  would  forbid  all  thoughts 
of  the  butcher,  and  never  carry  one's  appetite  beyond 
a  syllabub  on  thin  bread  and  butter.  Beyond  a  pecu- 
liar, wild,  wicked  eye,  there  is  not  much  to  admire 
in  the  head  of  an  Alderney  bull,  and  even  the  cows 
lose  much  of  their  graceful  character  when  bred  away 
from  their  native  isle. 

"  In  the  Jersey  scale  of  thirty-six  points  for  a  per- 
fect cow  or  heifer,  one  each  is  allowed  for  the  follow- 
ing excellences  :  '  Head  small,  fine,  and  tapering ; 
cheek  small ;  throat  clean  ;  muzzle  fine,  and  encircled 
by  a  light  color ;  nostrils  high  and  open ;  horns 
smooth,  crumpled,  not  too  thick  at  base,  and  taper- 
ing;  ears  small  and  thin  (one  point),  of  a  deep 


16  AYRSHIRE    HEAD. 

orange  color  within  (one  point)  ;  eye  full  and  placid.1 
The  eye  of  the  bull  must  be  lively,  and  his  horn 
tipped  with  black,  but  beyond  these,  the  points  are 
much  the  same. 

"Mr.  M'Combie  again,  speaking  of  course  of  his 
much  beloved  black  Polls,  says  :  *  A  perfect  breed- 
ing or  feeding  animal  should  have  a  fine  expression 
of  countenance  ;  I  could  point  it  out,  but  it  is  difficult 
to  describe  upon  paper.  It  should  be  mild,  serene, 
and  expressive.  He  should  have  a  small,  well-put-on 
head,  prominent  eye,  with  a  clean  muzzle.' 

"  Let  us,"  says  Mr.  Corbet,  w  look  to  another  kind 
of  Scotch  cattle,  and  what  would  the  West  Highlander 
be  without  his  head?  The  butcher  will  say  in 
answer,  'The  very  best  beef;  but  with  his  head 
all  his  character  is  gone.  There  is  a  wild  grandeur, 
I  had  almost  said  majesty,  about  the  head  of  the 
Highlander,  that  should  count  up  very  fast  in  any 
scale  of  his  points,  as  perhaps  no  other  animal  shows 
in  this  respect  such  insignia  of  nature's  nobility. 
You  may  read  of  his  Highland  home  in  his  clear, 
bright  eye,  his  magnificent  horn,  and  his  rough  but 
right  royal  coat." 

The  Ayrshire  head  is  not  like  any  of  these.  In- 
deed, in  these  descriptions  the  most  perfect  animals 
have  been  figured,  and  not  the  animal  typical  of  the 
breed.  If  many  of  the  Ayrshires  hint  of  the  High- 
land, of  which  they  may  inherit  something,  it  is  a 
hint  only.  Though  doubtless  something  of  their 
unrest  and  assurance  is  only  half- concealed  in  her 
face,  there  is  a  cowy  or  milky  look  that  comes  of  the 


AYRSHIRE    HEAD.  17 

use  for  which  she  is  reserved  ;  there  is  the  look  of 
domestication,  but  in  general,  of  a  domestication  that 
has  not  been  carried  to  the  highest  pitch.  It  has  not, 
as  in  the  Prince  Albert  Suffolk  swine,  quite  subjected 
her  to  its  behests.  Of  course,  the  degree  to  which 
this  is  carried  varies  in  different  families.  The  coun- 
tenance should  be  serene,  mild,  and  expressive,  the 
latter  to  be  born  of  motherly  instincts.  The  perfect 
animal  is  being  brought  to  this,  but  the  majority  of 
the  Ayrshires  have  an  earnest  liveliness  of  expres- 
sion which  is  all  their  own,  and  which  the  portrait 
artist  must  recognize. 

In  form,  the  head  may  be  long,  and  of  no  great 
comparative  breadth,  or  it  may  be  short,  with  consid- 
erable breadth. 

The  short  head  has  come  from  such  breeding  as 
Theophilus  Parton,  of  Swinley  farm,  pursued,  and  it 
is  known  as  Swinley  stock.  This  stock  differs  from 
the  older  stock  in  having  a  shorter  head,  with  more 
breadth  across  the  eyes,  more  upright  and  spreading 
horn,  more  hair,  and  that  of  a  more  mossy  character, 
and  generally  better  constitution.2 

The  points  for  the  head,  given  by  the  Ayrshire  Ag- 
ricultural Association  in  18533  as  indicating  superior 
quality,  are  as  follows  :  "Head  short,  forehead  wide  ; 
nose  fine  between  the  muzzle  and  the  eyes ;  muzzle 
moderately  large  ;  eyes  full  and  lively ;  horns  widely 
set  on,  inclining  upwards,  and  curving  slightly  in- 
wards." 


2  Sandford  Howard's  article  in  W.  S.  Dept.  Ag.  Kept.  1863,  p.  195. 
s  Prize  Essays  High,  and  Ag.  Soc.  1865-7,  p.  106. 

2* 


18  CARRIAGE. 

William  Aiton,  in  the  survey  of  Ayrshire,  printed 
at  Glasgow  in  1811,  says  the  shapes  most  approved 
of  are,  "Head  small,  but  rather  long  and  narrow  at 
the  muzzle.  The  eyes  small,  but  smart  and  lively. 
The  horns  small,  clear,  crooked,  and  their  roots  at 
considerable  distance  from  each  other." 

These  aspects,  and  a  compromise  of  them  in  vary- 
ing degree,  are  found  in  the  Ayrshire  of  to-day. 

The  carriage  is  what  may  be  inferred  from  a  study 
of  the  head  of  the  animal.  Each  motion  is  suggested 
by  a  purpose  entertained  by  her,  and  her  walk  is  sel- 
dom lagging;  and  if  she  pauses  by  the  way-side,  it  is 
but  for  a  moment,  to  move  on  at  a  quicker  pace. 
There  is  little  dilatoriness.  Promptness  is  a  char- 
acteristic. Her  walk  is  easy,  hurried  into  a  trot  in 
the  early  morning,  and  at  night,  if  she  expects  to  find 
food  in  her  mangerj  or  to  drink  there.  If  you  dis- 
turb her  at  rest,  in  the  pasture,  she  goes  to  feeding 
again. 

There  is  often  too  much  motion  for  her  to  be  grace- 
ful. She  steps  precisely  and  long,  but  when  grazing, 
no  animal  can  be  more  pleasing.  Her  shapes  are  so 
carried  as  to  offer  small  impediment  to  motion,  and 
it  comes  easier  to  her  than  to  any  other  dairy  breed  in 
our  acquaintance  that  carries  so  much  of  the  pasture 
with  them. 

In  the  dairy  breeds,  and  in  most  animals  particu- 
larly adapted  to  milk-giving,  there  is  a  tendency  to- 
wards accumulation  of  a  larger  part  of  the  weight  of 
the  animal  in  the  rearmost  half.  In  the  Ayrshire,  this 
tendency  is  much  developed,  more  so  than  in  any 


SCALE    OF   POINTS. 


19 


other  breed  whatsoever.  As  judged  by  a  side  view, 
or  from  above,  there  is  a  certain  wedge  form.  Al- 
though in  this  breed  the  shoulders  lie  close,  this  wedge 
shape  is  derived  less  from  a  deficiency  forward  than 
from  the  large  bulk  of  the  carcass  aft.  This  form 
becomes  more  strongly  marked  with  age,  when  the 
animal  has  been  abundantly  supplied  with  food. 
The  yearling  and  two  years'  old  may  have  parallel 
rather  than  diverging  lines  on  the  side  view. 

By  referring  to  several  descriptions  or  "  scales  of 
points  "  to  which  it  has  at  various  times  been  judged 
that  this  breed  should  conform,  we  may  derive  a  tol- 
erably clear  idea  of  its  present  appearance. 

It  must,  however,  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  pos- 
session of  these  points  by  an  animal  is  exceptional 
rather  than  common,  but  the  study  of  them  directs 
us  to  what  is  typical  of  the  breed.  They  are  made 
up  not  from  diverse  breeds,  nor  are  they  ideal,  but 
have  existed  either  in  conjunction  in  some  exception- 
ally fine  animal  of  the  breed,  or  have  been  observed 
separately. 


Head. 

Nose. 

Muzzle. 
Eyes. 

Horns. 

1853.*                             1829.5                          1811.6 

Short,  forehead        Small,    long    and        Small,  but  rather 
wide.                             narrow      towards        long  and   narrow 
muzzle.                        at  the  muzzle. 
Fine  bet.  the  muz- 
zle and  eyes. 
Moderately  large. 
Full  and  lively.             Not     large,     but        Small,  but    smart 
brisk  and  li\  jly.           and  lively. 
Wide  set  on,  in-        Small,  clear,  bent,        Small,     clear, 
clining    upwards,        and    placed   at   a        crooked,  and  their 
and  curving  slight-        considerable    dis-        roots  at  consider- 
ly  inwards.                    tance   from    each       able  distance  from 
other.                             each  other. 

4  Prize  Essays  High  and  Ag.  Soc.  1866-7,  p.  106. 
5  William  Harley,  Harleian  Diary  System,  p.  106. 
6  Alton,  Survey  of  Ayrshire.    Glasgow,  1811.    p.  426. 
Sequence  changed  from  the  authorities,  but  substance  given  with  exactness. 

20 


SCALE    OF   POINTS. 


Neck. 

Long  and  straight 
from  the  head  to 

Slender  and  long, 
tapering    towards 

Long  and  slender, 
tapering   towards 

the     tip     of     the 

the   head,    and    a 

th«  head,  with  no 

shoulder  ;      free 

little  loose  skin  be- 

loose skin  below. 

from  loose  skin  on 

low. 

the  under  side,  fine 

at  its  junction  -with 

the  head,  and  the 

muscles    symmet- 

rically    enlarging 

towards  the  shoul- 

ders. 

Shoulders. 

Thin  at  the  top. 

Thin. 

Thin. 

Brisket. 

Light. 

Forequarters 

The    whole    fore- 

Light 

Light. 

quarters    thin    in 

front,  and  gra  lu- 

ally  increasing  in 

depth    and    thick- 

ness backward. 

Hindquarters. 
Back. 

Short  and  straight. 

Large  and  broad. 
Straight. 

Large. 
Straight,    broad 

behind. 

Spine. 

Well  defined,  es- 

pecially at  shoul- 

ders. 

Joints  of  Spine. 

Slack  and  open. 

Rather  loose  and 

open. 

Short  Ribs. 

Arched. 

Body. 

Deep  at  the  flanks. 

Carcass    deep    in 
the  rib. 

Carcass  deep. 

Pelvis. 

Long,  broad,  and 

Capacious       and 

straight. 

wide  over  hips. 

Bultocks. 

Round  and  fleshy. 

Hook  Loins. 

Wide    apart,  and 

not  much  overlaid 

with  fat. 

Thighs. 

Deep  and  broad. 

Tail. 

Long  and  slender, 

Small    and    long, 

Long  and  small. 

and  set   on    level 

reaching     to    the 

with  the  back. 

heels. 

Legs. 

Short,   the    bones 
fine,  and  the  joints 

Small  and    short, 
with  firm  joints. 

Small  and   short, 
with  firm  joints. 

firm. 

Milk  Vessel. 

Capacious,  and  ex- 
tending well    for- 

Cnpacious.stretch- 
ing      forward, 

Capacious,  stretch- 
ing forward,  broad 

ward,  hinder  part 
broad,  and  firmly 

square,  but  a  little 
oblong,    not    low 

and    square,    nei- 
ther   fleshy,    low 

attached     to     the 

hung,  thin  skin'd. 

hung,  nor  loose. 

body;  the  sole  or 

under  surface 

nearly  level. 

Teat*. 

From  two  to  two 
and  a  half  inches 

Small,   pointing 
outward,  and  at  a 

Short,  all  pointing 
outward,    and    at 

in    length,    equal 

considerable    dis- 

a  considerable  dis- 

in thickness,  and 

tance    from    each 

tance    from    each 

hanging     perpen- 

other. 

other. 

dicularly  ;    their 

distance   apart  at 

the    sides    should 

be  equal  to  about 

one   third    of  the 

length  of  the  ves- 

sel, and  across  to 

about  one  half  of 

the  breadth. 

UDDER, 


21 


Milk  Veins. 

"Well  developed. 

Capacious       and 

Large  and  promi- 

prominent. 

nent. 

Skin. 

Soft  and  elastic. 

Loose,    thin,  and 

Thin  and  loose. 

soft  like  a  glove. 

Hair. 

Soft,  close,woolly. 

Short,    soft,    and 

Soft  and  woolly. 

woolly. 

Figure. 

Handsome      and 

Compact  and  well 

Temper. 

well  proportioned. 
Quiet  and  docile. 

proportioned. 

Color. 

Preferred  '  brown, 

or      brown      and 

white,  the  colors 

being       distinctly 

defined. 

In  nothing  does  the  Ayrshire  cow  show  breeding 
more  than  in  the  milk- vessel  or  udder.  Nowhere, 
we  are  tempted  to  say,  can  the  art  of  breeding  show 
a  greater  triumph.  Not  that  all  Ayrshires  have  per- 
fection of  form  in  udder,  yet  very  many  approach  it. 
The  more  skilfully  bred  indicate  the  fact  here  more 
broadly  than  in  any  other  particular.  We  find  here 
oftentimes  the  stamp  of  the  insignia  of  art  when 
there  is  much  of  naturalness  in  the  surrounding  parts. 
Here  is  found  the  index  by  which  the  breeder  can,  in 
a  measure,  gauge  the  degree  of  removal  from  the 
primitive  state. 

The  udder  has  been  the  point  towards  which  the 
search  after  quality  has  been  directed  by  the  careful 
Scotchman  for  a  long  period  of  time.  Although  it 
differs  in  outward  shape  in  individuals,  it  yet  retains 
a  certain  uniformity  which  may  be  considered  typical. 
This  is  in  the  gland  and  the  teat.  The  glands  are 
rather  flattened,  than  pointed  as  in  the  Alderney,  or 
elongated  as  in  the  Dutch.  These  are  well  held  up 
to  the  body,  and,  in  the  types  of  the  breed,  extend 
far  forward  and  back,  with  a  broad  and  level  sole. 
The  teats  are  small,  and  of  a  cylindrical  shape  rather 
than  cone-shaped,  as  seen  in  the  Alderney  and  other 


22  COLOR. 

breeds.  This  udder  is  admirably  fitted,  by  its  elas- 
ticity, for  the  storage  of  milk,  and  when  the  glands 
are  at  rest,  occupies  but  a  small  space.  The  eye, 
accustomed  to  seeing  the  pendent  fleshy  udder  so 
often  met  with  in  dairy  cows,  is  apt  to  underrate,  in 
comparison,  the  capacity  of  the  small  bag  of  this 
breed,  with  its  wrinkled  and  folded  covering,  so  de- 
ceptive to  the  unskilled,  so  full  of  promise  of  deeds 
of  worth  to  the  educated  observer.  Fill  out  these 
wrinkles  and  expand  these  folds,  and  the  lusty  calf 
may  well  forget  his  greed  at  the  sight  of  the  stores 
at  his  disposal. 

The  Scotch  having  been  less  intent  to  secure  a  par- 
ticular color  than  quality  in  their  herds,  although 
exercising  some  taste  in  the  matter,  their  cattle,  as 
do  those  of  the  Channel  Isles,  offer  much  variety  to 
the  eye.  There  are  among  them  no  such  mixtures 
as  red  and  white,  so  mixed  as  to  be  a  roan,  or  black 
and  white  thus  disposed.  It  is  rare  for  one  color  to 
mingle  with  another ;  the  line  of  separation  being 
generally  distinct. 

Of  236  animals  imported  into  the  United  States, 
about  70  per  cent  are  described  as  red,  or  red  and 
white.  Of  2,852  animals  in  the  United  States  whose 
colors  are  given,  about  78  per  cent  are  called  red,  or 
red  and  white. 

The  following  table,7  although  the  descriptions  of 
color  may  not  be  strictly  accurate,  as  there  is  prob- 
ably little  preciseness  in  recording  shades,  may  be 
of  interest :  — 

i  Am.  and  Can.  A.  H.  B. 


COLOR.  23 

Described  as                                          Number  of  Animals.  Peicentage 

Bed,  or  mostly  red 222  7.78 

Bed  and  white 2,014  70.61 

Brown,  or  mostly  brown 47  1.64 

Brown  and  white 241  8.45 

Mostly  black 2  ? 

Black  and  white 3  ? 

Yellow 1  ? 

Yellow  and  white 24  .84 

Dun 4  ? 

Brindle 20  .70 

White,  or  mostly  white 17  .59 

White  and  red 184  6.80 

White  and  brown 19  .66 

Fawn 2  ? 

Roan 2  ? 

Spotted,  flecked,  etc.  etc 40  1.40 

Were  all  the  animals  here  recorded  known  to  be, 
without  question,  of  the  pure  breed,  the  occurrence  of 
the  few  anomalous  colors  would  open  a  discussion  of 
great  interest.  Of  the  imported  animals,  in  but  few 
do  anomalous  colors  occur ;  one  is  described  as  bay 
and  white,  and  two  as  brindled. 

We  have  never  seen  one  all  white ;  to  find  one 
seven  eighths  white,  with  red  or  brown  ears  and  cheeks, 
is  not  very  rare.  Black,  or  black  and  white,  occur, 
but  are  not  common.  Some  may  be  brindled  in  part, 
as  black  and  brown  mixed.  Although  this  is  the  re- 
sult of  our  own  obsevations  in  Ayrshire,  yet  it  may 
be  well  to  quote  from  a  letter  of  Robert  Wilson,  a 
most  intelligent  man  and  successful  breeder.  "  Colors 
of  Ayrshires  are  much  the  same  since  I  can  remem- 
ber; different  breeders  have  their  particular  color. 
Light  yellow,  though  common  with  some  breeders, 
is  not  the  most  common  color.  Red  and  white 
flecked,  though  it  should  incline  a  little  to  yellowish 


24  MEAT. 

or  brown,  is  more  a  prevailing  color  of  the  breed.  .  .  . 
White,  if  there  be  not  roan  mixed  with  it,  I  do  not 
consider  a  proof  of  the  presence  of  short-horn  blood. 
Our  favorite  colors  are  white  flecked,  or  red  bodies 
and  white  legs.  Dark  reds  and  black  muzzles  are 
favorites  also.  This  color  is  considered  the  hardiest, 
though  I  incline  to  think  there  is  somewhat  of  a 
cross  in  it.  Ayrshires  are  hot  disqualified  as  prize- 
takers  on  account  of  color." 

In  Ayrshire,  the  design  all  along  has  been  to  dis- 
courage the  growth  of  those  points  which,  though 
perhaps  useful  in  the  animal  reared  for  meat,  have 
no  use  in  the  dairy  animal.  That  she  yields  much 
milk,  and  that  she  yields  it  without  extravagance  of 
food,  is  the  end  sought.  Everything  in  the  economy 
of  the  animal  must  be  subsidiary  to  this  ;  and  if  any 
one  can  point  out  in  her  figure  a  pound  of  flesh  that 
is  not  tributary  to  this  purpose,  or  if  there  is  need- 
less weight  of  bone,  then  it  will  fall  to  the  breeder 
to  lop  it  off.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Ayrshire  that 
she  'carries  her  weight  only,  and  lives  only,  to  serve 
dairy  interests  with  the  utmost  utilization  of  food. 

But  her  service  in  this  direction  does  not  preclude 
her  from  taking  on  flesh  rapidly  when  not  in  milk, 
and  fed  well,  nor  does  it  preclude  the  meat  being 
of  the  best  quality.  Though  she  does  not  afford  the 
butcher  meat  in  as  economically-shaped  pieces  as  the 
Short-horn,  so  like  a  brick,  in  form  of  carcass,  it  is 
equally  as  good,  if  not  superior.  In  the  Ayrshire, 
the  fat  is  mixed  with  the  lean,  evenly  and  in  thin 
streaks.  When  fed  for  the  butcher,  then  all  her 


MILK.  25 

energies  are  directed  to  meet  his  demands,  the  food 
that  has  hitherto  gone  to  milk  being  directed  to  an 
equalization  of  flesh  over  the  whole  animal.  The 
aged  beast  thus  fattens  readily  and  economically,  and 
furnishes  a  flesh  of  a  juicy  texture  and  high  quality. 

The  Ayrshire  cow  is  a  renowned  milker  through 
inheritance ;  yet  the  Scotch  have  a  saying,  taught 
by  experience,  that  "the  cow  gives  her  milk  by  the 
mou'."  It  is  a  fancy  of  the  sculptor  that  the  figure 
he  is  about  to  cut  already  exists  in  the  marble,  and  it 
is  his  work  only  to  expose  it  to  view.  So  may  we, 
employing  our  fancy,  see  milk  lying  concealed  in  the 
grasses,  which  the  cow  has  but  to  lap  in  order  to  fill 
the  pail. 

The  food,  and  the  machine  for  the  conversion  of 
food  into  milk,  are  the  two  elements  that,  united  in 
a  happy  manner  in  one  harmonious  design,  make  the 
production  of  milk  a  commonplace  affair.  But  who 
shall  raise  it  from  the  commonplace  by  exposing  the 
secret  springs  of  action,  and  prying  into  the  conceal- 
ments of  nature? 

The  question  of  milk,  however,  deserves  a  chapter 
of  itself,  where  it  can  be  treated  in  a  manner  com- 
mensurate with  its  importance. 


26  MILK   YIELD. 


THE  AYRSHIRE  AS  A  MILKING  ANIMAL. 


THAT  the  Ayrshire  cow  is  a  large  milker  there  can 
be  little  doubt,  as  the  fact  is  supported  by  universal 
testimony.  Yet  it  may  be  well  to  present  those  state- 
ments of  yields  which  we  have  collected. 

Ro.  Forsyth,1  writing  before  1807,  says  that 
"twelve  of  these  small  cows  will  yield  for  four  or 
five  months  in  succession  120  Scotch  pints  of  milk 
each  day."  As  the  Scotch  pint  is  103T4Q  cubic  inches, 
this  would  be  nearly  18  quarts  per  cow. 

Aiton,2  writing  in  1811,  says  that  some  of  the 
dairy  cows  in  Ayrshire  may  yield  for  a  time  from 
12  to  14  Scotch  pints  (21|  to  25  wine  quarts)  per 
day,  but  such  returns  are  rare.  Many  of  them  will, 
when  in  their  best  plight,  and  duly  fed,  yield  at  the 
rate  of  10  Scotch  pints  (about  18  quarts)  of  milk  per 
day  for  two  or  three  months,  probably  about  6  pints 
(10|  quarts)  for  other  three  months,  and  say  3  pints 
(5J-  quarts)  for  four  months  more,  making  in  all  dur- 
ing the  season  about  1,700  or  1,800  pints  (3,046  to 
3,225  quarts).  Many  cows,  however,  will  not  yield 
more  than  the  half  of  that  quantity.  Probably  1,200 
Scotch  pints  (2,148  quarts)  of  milk  from  each  cow 
in  the  course  of  the  year,  may  be  about  a  fair  average 

1  Beauties  of  Scotland,  iii,  8.  2  Alton's  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  464. 


MILK    YIELD.  27 

of  the  Ayrshire  dairy  stock.  He  had  heard  of  16 
or  18  pints  (28J-  to  32  quarts)  being  taken  from  a 
cow  every  day,  but  had  never  seen  so  much.3 

In  1829  William  Harley  states  "as  the  average  for 
the  Harleian  dairy,  12  quarts  per  day."  This  is 
4,380  quarts  a  year.  It  will  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, that  in  this  dairy  the  cattle  were  kept  in  very 
high  condition,  and  were  continually  being  turned  for 
the  butcher ;  and  these  high  figures  do  not  represent 
the  average  for  a  cow,  but  only  for  the  average  num- 
ber kept  during  the  year.  Mr.  Harley  bought  one 
very  large  fine  cow  at  a  high  price.  This  cow  gave 
for  a  considerable  time  40  quarts  a  day.  He  had  a 
number  of  other  very  fine  cows  which,  when  newly 
calved  and  highly  fed,  produced  from  25  to  30  quarts 
per  day.4 

Dr.  Voelcker,5  of  England,  writing  in  1863,  men- 
tions a  cow  bought  by  the  Duke  of  Athol  from  Mr. 
Wallace,  Kirklandholm,  and  probably  in  his  Grace's 
dairy  at  Dunkeld  House  at  the  present  time,  that  pro- 
duced 13,456  pounds  (6,258  quarts)  of  milk  from 
the  llth  of  April,  1860,  to  the  llth  of  April, 
1861.6 

In  Morton's  -Farmer's  Almanack  for  1866,  the 
average  annual  yield  per  cow  in  five  known  dairies 
is  given  at  4,992  pints,  but  which  is  stated  to  be 
above  the  average  of  ordinary  grass-fed  cows.7 


Alton's  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  428. 
Harleian  Dairy  System,  pp  87  and  106. 
Jour,  of  R.  A   B.  of  Eng.  1863,  p.  308. 
Journ.  R.  A.S.  of  Eng.  1863,  p.  3u8. 
Quoted  in  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1866-7,  p.  78 


28  MILK   YIELD. 

In  Mr.  Buttery's  dairy  of  thirty  cows,  at  Calder 
Bank,  the  average  annual  produce  is  2,941  wine 
quarts  per  cow.8 

At  the  competition  between  milch  cows  at  the  show 
of  the  Ayrshire  Agricultural  Society,  the  average 
milk  yield  for  four  milkiugs  was  491  pounds  a  day, 
as  follows9 :  — 

Weight  of  4  Milkinga 
OWNBR.  daring  2  days.  Per  day.  Per  milking. 

Archibald  Wilson. ...  96  Ibs.  14  oz.          48  Ibs.    7  oz.          24  Ibs.  3*  oz. 


James  Hendrie 97  4  4 

William  Reid 82  "  3 

do ...109  "  6 

E.  Wallace 114  "  2 

do 94  "  1 


48  '  30   "  24 

41  "  li"  20 

64  "  11   "  27 

57  "  Hi"  29 

47  "  i"  23 


5 
9 
«i 
8i 


8J    " 

Archibald  Sturrock,  in  1866,  estimates  the  aver- 
age yield  for  all  the  cows  at  about  3,400  imperial 
pints  from  each  cow  per  annum,  and  apologizes  for 
his  low  estimate  by  complaining  of  the  want  of  house 
feeding  by  so  many,  and  the  great  neglect  of  the  cows 
in  winter.10  3,400  imperial  pints  is  2,040  wine  quarts. 

To  complete  the  records  of  yield  in  Scotland,  we 
will  quote  from  statements  made  us,  either  in  person 
or  by  letter,  from  Scotch  breeders. 

Robert  Wilson,  of  Kilbarchan,  writes,  "I  have 
known  cows  in  our  own  stock  to  give  as  much  as  28 
and  32  quarts  each,  daily,  but  such  are  exceptional 
cases." 

At  Kilmarnock,  in  1869,  we  found  the  universal 
testimony  was  from  12  to  16  quarts  daily,  from  the 
best  cows. 

8  Mayne's  How  to  Choose  a  Milch  Cow,  p.  136. 
»  Gard.  Chron.  and  Ag.  Gazette,  Apr.  8,  1865. 
io  Prize  Essays  H.  Soc.  1866-7,  p.  78. 


MILK   YIELD.  29 

Mr.  Ormsby,  near  Ayr,  states  the  average  yield  of 
good  cows,  for  three  months  in  succession,  as  from 
7  to  8  pints  at  a  milking;  that  is,  14  to  16  quarts 
daily. 

Mr.  Robert  McKeen,  of  Bishopbriggs,  near  Glas- 
gow, had,  in  1869,  a  herd  of  36  very  superior-looking 
animals.  He  gave  their  yield  as  21J  quarts  for  three 
months.  He  was  a  high  feeder,  and  his  nearness 
to  the  breweries  of  Glasgow  gave  him  the  privi- 
lege of  obtaining  brewery  draff,  which,  it  is  needless 
to  say,  was  abundantly  availed  of. 

Professor  Wilson,  in  his  report  on  the  Danish  Ex- 
hibition, says,  "Two  dairies  of  Ayrshire  cows  gave 
the  annual  milk  product  per  cow  at  2,600  quarts  and 
2,528  quarts  respectively."11 

In  America  we  can  hardly  expect  as  large  an  annual 
return  in  milk  as  obtains  in  Scotland,  on  account  of  the 
greater  dryuess  of  our  climate,  and  the  absence  of  that 
succulency  of  food,  during  the  summer  heats,  which 
is  so  desirable.  Yet  on  account  of  the  care  exercised 
towards  cows  so  highly  valued,  we  have  instances  of 
excellent  yields  for  the  year,  and  in  the  yields  for  a 
limited  period  oftentimes  statements  so  remarkable 
for  their  excess  as  to  call  for  further  verifica- 
tion. We,  however,  give  our  authorities  in  each 
instance. 

.  Of  the  four  cows  imported  by  Mr.  Gushing  in  1837, 
we  have  the  following  memoranda  of  their  yields 
commencing  in  that  year.12 

11  Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1869,  p.  666. 

12  Farmers'  Library,  iii,  305. 


30 


MILK   YIELD. 


From  May  17  to  June  1 . .  608  Ihs. 

In  June 1,192  " 

In  July 1,064  " 

In  August 841  " 

In  September 718" 

InOctober 489" 

In  November 409  " 

In  December 432  " 

In  January,  1838 442  " 

In  February 388  " 

In  March 484" 

In  April.  . 419  " 

20  days  in  May. 242  " 

Total...  7,728  " 


From  May  23  to  June  1 . .  243  Ibs. 

In  June 796  " 

In  July 845  " 

In  August 600  " 

In  September. ...   475  " 

InOctober 313 

In  November '340 

In  December 394 

In  January,  1838 401 

In  February 326 

In  March 328 

In  April 216 

7  days  in  May 30 

Total 5,307  " 

CORA. 

From  Nov.  17  to  Dec.  1 . .  388  Ibs. 

InDecember 834  " 

In  January,  1838 846  " 

In  February 776  " 

In  March 704" 

In  April 670  " 

21daysinMay 405" 

Total 4,623  " 


From  June  20  to  July  1 .  283  Ibs. 

In  July 805" 

In  August 693  " 

In  September 567  " 

InOctober 498" 

In  November 319  " 

In  December 403  " 

In  January,  1838 406  " 

» In  February 351  " 

In  March 368  " 

In  April 319  " 

21  days  in  May  .  151  " 

Total 5,163  " 

Mr.  F.  H.  Appleton,  of  West  Peabody,  Mass.,  gives 
the  yield  of  three  of  his  cows  for  the  year  commen- 
cing August  26,  1871,  and  ending  August  25,  1872, 
at  8, 159f  Ibs.,  7,728f  Ibs.,  and  5,277£  Ibs.  respec- 
tively.13 

The  farm  year  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Miles,  of  Fitchburg, 
Mass.,  commences  on  the  1st  of  July,  and  we  tran- 
scribe the  records  of  Maple  wood  Farm  in  full.14 

!3  Trans,  of  ERPCX  Co.  Ag.  Soc  1872,  p.  74. 

«  Milk  Record  of  Maplewpod  Herd  (Ayrshire),  Fitchburg,  July  1, 1872,  also, 
do.  1873.  Also,  MS.  communication  from  Mr.  Miles. 


MAPLEWOOD   MILK   EECORD. 


31 


Ij    || 

No.  days  in  milk. 

Yield  of  milk  in  Ibs. 

'69&'70. 

rH 
0 

279 
365 
307 
278 
304 
267 
309 

*307 
166 

288 
298 
280 
263 
302 
288 
324 
295 
284 
267 
114 

co 

1 

1 

'71&'72. 

•72&»73. 

Miller,  2d  .  .  .   . 
Beauty    .   .  .   .  . 

13  ' 
11 
11 
11 
10 
5 
5 
5 
5 
4 
3 
2 
2 
2 
2 

1,110 
985 
1,070 
1,125 
1,028 
995 
1,085 
1,200 
1,«»73 
848 
975 
800 
795 
715 
870 

284 
315 
284 
321 
313 
263 
301 

*163 

282 
317 
247 
327 
308 
297 
294 
319 
292 
253 
280 
271 
267 
273 
229 

8)oiia 
5,831 
6,953 
6,618 
4,819 
5,178 

4,797 
7.922i 
5,930 
5,951 
6,195£ 
5,950i 
6,021* 

5,692| 
7,555 
4,248] 
5,611] 
6,300] 
7,047 

5|4932 
4,785^ 
5,313^ 
2,352| 

5.764J 
7,304] 
4,469i 
6,095] 
6,526  : 
7,267 
8.982J 
5.880J 
5,331^ 
4,916^ 
5,806 
4,679| 
4,559 
4.146J 
3.365J 

Daisy  

Daisy   

Myrtle,  1st    .  . 
Cleopatra  .  .  . 
Maud  Muller    . 
Lady  Burns  .   . 
Ellen  Douglas  . 
Myrtle,  2d.    .  . 
Lady  Sampson  . 
Lady  Burns,  1st 

3,190 

3,*2815 

'   ' 

Gracie  

SUMMAB 

Year.              No.  of  cows.    . 
1869  and  '70  7*- 

T  FOR  THE  ENTIRE  HERD. 

A.V.  milk  season.    Milk  per  cow  in  Ibs 
300  days.                      6,292  Ibs. 
303    "                          6,017  " 
286    "                            5,730  " 
283    "                            5.539  " 

In  qts. 
2,926  qts. 
2,798  " 
2,665  " 
2,530  " 

1870    "    '71  8 

1 

1871    "    '72  10 

1872    "    '73  .,           .  15 

Average 


293  days. 


5,821  Ibs. 


2,707  qts. 


After  the  above  was  in  press,  we  received  the  yield 
of  this  herd  for  the  year  1873-4  :  — 


Days  in  Milk. 

Miller,  2d    

256 

322 

290 

300 

Daisy    
Myrtle,  1st  

301 
323 

259 

MaudMuller  

215 

Myrtle.  2d  

300 
238 

2ol 

284 

Vallonia  

291 

295 

14  Cows Average  280 

Average  per  cow  for  five  years,  2,642  quarts. 


Yield,  Ibs. 

4,8483 

7,857i 

6,109 

7,08oi 

7,358; 

7,702; 

5,653 

3,622' 

5,882] 


4,3445 
3,926 
4,384 
3,21 

4,660 

5,475 


Quarts. 
2,255 
3,655 
2,841 
3,296 
3,422 
3,582 
2,629 
1,685 
2,736 

2,021 
1,826 
2,039 
1,496 
2,167 

2,500 


We  have  now  given  all  the  annual  yields  in  our 
possession,  excepting  those  of  the  Ayrshires  of 
Waushakum  Herd,  for  which  records,  on  account 


32  MILK   YIELD. 

of  their  completeness,  we  reserve  a  separate  para- 
graph. We  will  now  proceed  to  give  the  records 
of  milkings  for  a  period  of  time  less  than  the  year's 
yield. 

First  in  order  comes  Ayrshire  Lass  and  Red  Rose, 
whose  owner,  Mr.  James  Brodie,  presents  at  the 
New  York  Fair,  and  takes  oath  to  the  record  whose 
summary  we  give.15 

Ayrshire  Lass.  11  years  old;  calved  April  1, 
1861.  June  10  gave  74  pounds  of  milk.  Com- 
menced August  with  66  pounds,  and  closed  with  55 
pounds;  total  for  the  month,  1,902  pounds.  Sep- 
tember 1,  55  J  pounds;  September  16,  51  pounds; 
first  sixteen  days  of  September,  844  pounds. 

Red  Rose.  8  years  old;  calved  May  20,  1861. 
June  10  gave  84  pounds  of  milk.  Commenced 
August  with  74  pounds  and  closed  with  63  pounds. 
Total  for  the  month  2,168  pounds.  September  1,  62 
pounds ;  September  14,  50  pounds ;  first  fourteen 
days  of  September,  788J  pounds. 

Mr.  H.  H.  Peters,  in  his  catalogue  for  1865,  gives 
the  yield  of  his  cows,  Corslet  and  Jean  Armour,  as 
follows  :  — 

Corslet  averaged  from  May  2  to  September  1,  21| 
quarts  of  milk  per  day.  The  greatest  yield  was  26 
quarts. 

Jean  Armour,  in  1862,  gave  an  average  of  49 
pounds  3  ounces  of  milk  per  day  for  114  days,  com- 
mencing June  1.  Greatest  yield,  58  pounds  a  day ; 

]5  Trans.  New  York  Ag.  Soc.  1861,  p.  125. 


MILK   YIELD. 


33 


least  yield,  43  pounds.     For  the  month  of  July  she 
averaged  51  pounds  13  ounces  per  day. 

One  of  our  neighbors,  Mr.  Isaac  Felch,  allows  us 
to  take  from  his  book  the  following  record  of  the 
yield  of  his  cow  Mary,  eight  years  old.  She  dropped 
a  calf  December  2,  1870,  and  was  purchased  by  him 
April  19,  1871. 


CCA.  vim 
II                I 

ing    iiJiaj       u,   MVff* 
«       14|       « 

S7<J    l^KO. 

100    «' 

ii            ii 

<l                 I 

•           ii    21,     « 

105    " 

ii            ii 

a 

June    3,    " 

123    " 

ii            ii 

ii 

"    10,    «« 

126    " 

ii            ii 

M 

i,    17>    ,, 

123    " 

it            it 

«« 

<i    24,    » 

119    " 

ii            « 

ii 

July    1,    " 

119     « 

ii            ii 

July   8,  1871  .  .  112  qts. 

"    15, 

.105    " 

"    22, 

.105    " 

"    29, 

.105    " 

Aug.    6, 

.100    " 

"    13, 

.    98    " 

"    20, 

.    70     " 

"    27, 

.    63    " 

"    30,3d'ys 

.    31     " 

Total,  122  days,  commencing  149  days  from  calving,  1,821  quarts. 

Mr.  Felch  milks  himself,  and  records  the  measure 
in  his  note-book  at  the  time.  The  cow  was  in  a  very 
fat  condition,  as  Mr.  Felch  is  not  only  an  extremely 
liberal  feeder,  but  a  very  careful  one. 

Mr.  Charles  Shepherd,  of  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y., 
writes  us  that  he  weighed  the  milk  of  several  of  his 
cows  in  July,  1869,  and  it  would  run  from  42  to  50 
pounds  daily. 

Messrs.  S.  M.  &  D.  Wells,  of  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
writes  that  the  yield  of  one  of  their  cows  in  April 
is  54  pounds  per  day.  Last  week,  50  pounds  ;  week 
before,  49  pounds. 

Mr.    J.   C.    Rutherford,    of  Waddington,    N.  Y., 
writes  that  in  1870  the    average  of   milk   per  cow 
from    May  1  to  October   1,    five   months,    was   38 1 
pounds,  on  grass  alone. 
3 


34  MILK   RECORD. 

Mr.  B.  Harrington,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  writes 
us  as  the  average  of  seven  cows,  18|  quarts  a  day, 
and  16|  quarts  for  four  months. 

Mr.  Luke  Svveetser,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  writes  us 
that  one  of  his  cows,  weighing  but  860  pounds,  six 
years  old,  gave  300  pounds  of  milk  in  seven  days, 
and  that  his  cows  have  ranged  from  30  to  50  pounds 
a  day. 

Mr.  J.  D.  W.  French,  of  North  Audover,  Mass., 
writes  us  that  his  cow  Dolly  gave  2,471  pounds 
of  milk  from  June  18,  1871,  to  Sept.  4,  1871,  when 
the  record  was  interrupted  by  the  sending  of  the  cow 
to  the  Fairs. 

Mr.  A.  P.  Ball,  of  Staustead,  P.  Q  ,  writes  us  that 
his  yield  is  16  quarts  in  summer  and  8  quarts  per 
cow  now  (October). 

Mr.  Thomas  Miller,  of  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  writes 
us  that  one  of  his  cows,  thirteen  days  from  calving, 
was  giving  55  pounds  daily,  while  another  in  June 
averaged  24  quarts. 

Mr.  J.  C.  Converse,  of  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y., 
writes  that  one  of  his  cows,  as  a  two-year  old,  gave 
40  pounds  daily,  and  as  a  cow,  was  giving  55  pounds 
daily  in  June,  and  in  July,  1871,  45  pounds  on 
pasture. 

In  1873  Gen.  S.  D.  Hungerford,  of  Adams,  Jef- 
ferson County,  N.  Y.,  exhibited  at  the  New  York 
State  Fair  at  Albany  an  Ayrshire16  cow  known  as 
Old  Creamer,  whose  yield  of  milk  has  never  to  our 
knowledge  been  surpassed. 

16  This  account  taken  from  a  card  appended  to  her  photograph,  sent  us  by 
General  H.  Bhe  is  probablj  seven  eighths  Ayrshire. 


CHAMPION   COW.  35 

Old  Creamer  is  nine  years  old,  and  weighs  1,080 
pounds.  In  three  days  she  yielded  the  enormous 
quantity  of  302  pounds  of  milk,  as  follows  :  June  11, 
100£  pounds;  June  12,  100  pounds;  June  13,  101 J 
pounds.  She  gave  2,820  pounds  of  milk  in  the 
month  of  June,  an  average  of  over  94  pounds  per 
day;  2,483£  pounds  in  the  month  of  July,  an  aver- 
age of  over  80  pounds  per  day. 

This  cow  attracted  so  much  attention  at  the  Fair 
from  the  statements  of  Gen.  Hungerford,  her  admir- 
able form,  and  evident  great  capacity  for  milk-giving  r 
that  we  annex  the  following  measurements,  which  we 
believe  will  prove  of  value  and  interest. 

These  measurements  were  taken  at  noon,  Sep- 
tember 25,  1873,  when  she  was  receiving  pails  of 
"  slop"  every  few  hours,  and  was  said  to  be  milking 
25  pounds  three  times  daily  :  — 

Length  of  head 19  J  inches. 

Breadth  between  eyes 8        " 

Distance  around  muzzle 18        (i 

From  base  of  horn  to  shoulder 27£      " 

From  shoulder  along  spine,  to  hip 34J      " 

From  hip  to  tail  insertion 10 

Hip  points,  apart , 20 

Hip  point  to  hook  bone 20 

Depth  of  flank 22| 

Girth 71 J 

Girth  about  belly,  largest  part 96£ 

Udder  oval,  broad,  extending  very  far  back.     Skin 

loose  upwards,  and  hanging  in  folds  from  the 

vulva. 
Milk  veins  large,  equal  on  either  side. 

Length  of  udder 18 

Depth  of  udder,  gland  portion 20 

Distance  along  gland  from  front  to  rear 29£ 

Circumference 58 


36  MILK   RECORD. 

Escutcheon  4J  inches  broad  just  beneath  vulva, 

and  correspondingly  extensive. 
Mirrors  large. 
Disposition  very  quiet. 
.  Joints  of  vertebrae  loose  and  open. 
Skin  medium  thick,  soft,  and  easily  lifted. 

The  milk  record  of  Waushakum  Farm  has  now 
been  kept  for  a  number  of  years  under  the  same  sys- 
tem, and  we  present  it  with  the  more  confidence  as 
we  are  personally  cognizant  of  the  general  correct- 
ness of  the  facts  set  forth.  Commencing  with  the 
most  carefully-selected  native  cattle,  so  called,  but 
for  the  most  part  unknown  grades,  we  gradually 
worked  into  an  Ayrshire-breeding  herd,  as  our  trials 
thoroughly  convinced  us  of  their  worth.  In  the  fol- 
lowing tables  are  given  the  results  for  each  cow  for 
each  month  of  her  milking,  considering  only  those 
animals  which  were  kept  throughout  the  farm  year, 
and  counting  the  heifers  as  cows  from  the  time  they 
came  into  milk. 


WAUSHAKUM   MILK   KECORD. 


37 


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38 


WAUSHAKUM   MILK    RECORD. 


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39 


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WAUSHA.KUM   MILK   RECORD. 


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JO  ^1  CO  < 


WAUSHAKUM    MILK   EECORD.  45 

The  animals  whose  yields  are  represented,  it  will 
be  remembered,  were  selected  with  our  best  judg- 
ment, for  the  best  of  natives  and  for  the  best  of  Ayr- 
shires.  We  have,  therefore,  in  these  yields,  a  basis 
for  ascertaining  the  comparative  value  of  the  natives 
and  Ayrshires  of  similar  grades  and  under  similar 
management,  the  variation  of  the  same  cows  in  dif- 
ferent years,  and  other  matters  of  interest,  in  a 
reliable  form. 

The  natives  were  kept  for  their  milk  alone,  and 
none  of  the  calves  were  raised.  The  Ayrshires  are 
a  breeding  herd,  and  not  only  are  the  calves  raised, 
but  the  supply  of  food  is  regulated  with  great  care, 
in  order  to  avoid  the  hazard  arising  from  high  feeding 
for  milk. 

It  is  seen  that,  reducing  all  the  figures  to  the  basis 
of  one  year,  we  have  for  the  average  yield,  — 

68  Native  cows,  4,605  pounds,  or  2,141  quarts. 
67.9  Ayrshire  "     5,550       "  2,581       "       (including  heifers.) 

3  Jersey       "     2,506       "  1,119       " 

Perhaps  arranging  our  results  as  in  the  following 
table  will  give  a  correct  showing  of  the  differences 
between  the  native  and  the  Ayrshire  in  percentages 
of  the  whole  number  of  cows  kept,  multiplied  by  the 
number  of  years  kept.  Thus,  a  cow  kept  for  three 
years  would  appear  in  this  table  as  three  cows  kept 
one  year. 


46 


WATJSHAKUM   MILK   RECOKD. 


SUMMARY. 

PERCENTAGES. 

Annual  Yield.                          Native. 

Ayrshire. 

Jerseys.  Native.  Ayrshire. 

Under      3,000  Ibs.                                5 

3 

1            7.35            4.48 

Between  3,000  Ibs.  and  3,500  Ibs.       5 

2 

I            7.35            2.98 

'         3,500       "        4,000    "         9 

5 

1         13.23           7.47 

'         4,000 

4,500    "        10 

6 

14.70           8.96 

«         4,500 

5,000    "       11 

4 

16.17           5.96 

1         5,000 

5,500    "         6 

8 

8.82         11.93 

1         5,500 

6,000     '        11 

12 

16.17          17.92 

'         6,000 

6,500     c         3 

13 

4.41          19.40 

'         6,500 

'        7,000               4 

6 

5.88           8.96 

c         7,000 

'        7,500               2 

6 

2.94           8.96 

7,500 

8,000              1 

0 

1.47 

«         8,000 

'         8,500               1 

1 

1.47 

•      "         8,500        '        9,000    '          0 

1 

1.49 

68 


67 


99.96 


99.51 


Or,  grouping  on  a  larger  scale,  — 


Per  cent. 

!  58.80 


Natives. 

Under  4,000  Ibs.  27.93 

Between  4,000  and  5,000  Ibs.    30.87 
Between  5,000  and  6,000  Ibs.   24.99  i  41  lg 
Over  6,000  Ibs.  16.17  3 

Or,  68  Native  cows'  yields,  34  different  cows  =  325,023  Ibs.  total  yield. 
67  Ayrshire     "  18        "  "     =368,884 


Ayrshires.  Per  cent. 
14.92 
14.92 
29.85 
40.30 


29.84 


70.15 


As  a  constant  process  of  selection  was  continually 
in  progress  with  the  native  herd,  let  us  place  side  by 
side  the  34  Natives  and  34  Ayrshires  yields. 


34  best  Ayrshire  yields,  225,063  Ibs. 
34  best  Native  "       199,877    " 

34  poorest  Ayrshire  "       152,822    " 
34  poorest  Native       "       125,146    " 


Per  cow,  6,620  Ibs. 
"         5,878    " 
"         4,494    " 


The  average  for  the  three  years  when  Natives  were 
principally  kept  was  4,562  Ibs.j  for  the  five  years 
of  Ayrshires,  5,588  Ibs. 


WAUSHAKUM  MLLK  RECORD.  47 

Per  day  per  cow  while  in  milk.  Per  day  per  cow  per  year. 

1867.  All  Natives,                   16.81  Ibs.  12.8    Ibs. 

1868.  Principally  Natives,      16.06    "  13.24    ' 

1869.  u                "            14.31    "  11.45 

Average,                   15.72    "  12.5     " 

1870.  Ayrshires  principally,  19.35  Ibs.  15.8  Ibs. 

1871.  "                              16.98    "  13.77   " 

1872.  "                              20.59    "  16.94   " 

1873.  "                              19.12    "  15.43 

1874.  "                              19.96  15.51     ' 


Average,  19.20    '  15.49 

Thus  the  "  Ayrshire  years  "  show  a  yield  of  about 
1,200  pounds  more  per  cow  in  milk  than  do  the 
"Native  years." 

The  "  Ayrshire  years  "  also  show  a  yield  per  cow 
for  the  year  of  1,095  pounds  more  than  do  the 
"Native  years." 

These  statistics,  with  every  feature  in  favor  of  the 
native  cow,  certainly  justify  claims  for  high  value  to 
the  A vr shire  stock  as  milkers. 


48  BUTTER. 


BUTTER. 


ALTHOUGH  the  making  of  cheese  has  been  carried 
on  in  Ayrshire  from  a  remote  antiquity,  it  has  not 
excluded  the  practice  of  using  the  milk,  at  least  since 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  for  other  pur- 
poses. The  manufacturing  industries  of  this  region 
have  concentrated  population  and  fostered  artificial 
wants.  Previous  to  the  year  1811,  and  probably 
very  much  earlier,  butter  was  manufactured  from  the 
milk  in  winter,  but  in  a  ruder  method  than  at  present. 
As  early  as  1811,  Aiton  could  state  that  all  the  milk 
made  at  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half,  and  not  more 
than  ten  miles  from  Glasgow,  was  converted  into  but- 
ter and  sold  in  that  city. 

In  1861)  we  ourselves  found  butter  made  exten- 
sively in  the  dairies  throughout  the  county ;  and  in 
all  the  cheese  dairies  that  came  under  our  observa- 
tion, the  Sunday's  milk  was  reserved  for  the  making 
of  butter. 

In  1864  Mr.  E.  J.  Thomson,  of  Kilmarnock,  tried 
a  series  of  experiments  on  feeding  roots  to  Ayrshire 
milch  cows.  The  percentages  of  cream  varied  from 
121  to  14J  in  the  four  animals,  as  the  average  of  a 
six  weeks'  trial.  In  another  trial  by  the  same  gentle- 
man in  1865,  with  8  cows,  the  cream  percentage 


BUTTER.  49 

varied  from  9  to  16,  and  the  average  was  13  J  per 
cent.  In  still  another  trial  with  four  animals,  the 
result  was  about  12  per  cent.  These  percentages 
were  read  off  after  standing  24  hours.1 

In  America  we  have  but  few  records  of  the  cream 
percentage.  Mr.  Thomas  Miller,  of  Delaware  County, 
New  York,  writes  us  that  his  cow,  Favorite,  gave 
25  per  cent  of  cream  in  1871. 

The  result  of  numerous  trials  on  Waushakum  Farm 
gives  a  variation  of  from  9  to  18|  per  cent.  We 
assume  the  average  to  be  about  14J  per  cent. 

Ro.  Forsyth,2  writing  in  1807,  states  that  8  Scottish 
pints  of  milk  on  the  average  produce  a  pound  of  but- 
ter of  22  ounces.  This  is  in  the  proportion  of  1 
pound  of  butter  to  22T4^  pounds  of  milk. 

Alton,8  in  1814,  states  that  2,453  wine  quarts  of 
milk  produced  228  pounds  of  butter,  —  a  proportion 
of  1  to  23 -j3^  pounds. 

A  farmer  in  Stirlingshire,4  quoted  by  Mr.  Colman, 
gives  his  proportion  as  a  pound  of  butter  to  16 
quarts  of  milk. 

Professor  J.  Wilson5  gives  the  proportion  of  a  trial 
as  1  to  20. 

In  1830,  in  Ayrshire,6  12  cows  gave  during  one 
week,  1,075  quarts  of  milk,  which  produced  84  pounds 
of  butter.  This  is  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  27T7^ 
pounds. 

An  experiment  at  the  King  William's  Town  Dairy, 


1  Prize  Essays  High.  Soc.  1868-9,  p.  52.    2  Beauties  of  Scotland,  iii,  77. 

s  Sinclair's  Scotland,  iii,  65.  *  Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  306. 

c  Journ.  K.  A.  S.  2d  ser.  iv,  320.  «  prjze  Essays  H.  Soc.  2d  ser.  ii,  253. 


50  BUTTER. 

in  1839,  gave  a  pound  of  butter  to  each  9J  imperial 
quarts  of  new  milk.7 

In  Derbyshire8  a  cow  in  pasture,  giving  20  quarts 
of  milk,  produced  34  ounces  of  butter,  or  in  the  pro- 
portion of  1  pound  to  9T4^  quarts. 

Hague 9  gives  a  table  representing  the  results  of 
trials  by  different  farmers  in  Ayrshire,  as  follows  :  — 

Mr.  Biirnet,  Gadgirth 25   gallons  of  milk,  give  8  Ibs.  of  butter. 

Mr.  Alexander, Southtree...  .22*      "  "  "       9" 

Mr.  Kankins 69       "  "  "      24"  " 

Mr.   Buttery,  at  Calder  Bank,  6  Scotch  pints  of  milk  give  1  pound 
butter. 

The  proportion  as  indicated  here  is  1  pound  to 
15  quarts,  except  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Buttery,  where 
we  have  1  pound  of  butter  to  every  23^  pounds  of 
milk. 

We  have  also  a  few  experiments  made  in  America. 
The  cow  Swinley,10  imported  in'1839,  furnished  in  4 
days  102  pounds  of  milk,  which  made  5  pounds  of 
butter.  This  is  the  proportion  of  1  to  20 ^  pounds. 

Mr.  E.  P.  Prentice11  is  said  to  have  had  a  cow  which 
gave  118  pounds  of  milk  in  three  days,  which  pro- 
duced 9  pounds  5  ounces  of  butter,  —  a  proportion 
of  1  pound  to  12T^. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Collins12  gives  his  proportion  as  1  pound 
butter  to  8|  to  10  quarts  of  milk. 

Mr.  Allis,  in  the  Report  of  the  Agriculture  of 
Massachusetts  for  1871-2,  makes  a  statement  of  60 

7  Journ.  R.  A.  8.  i,  443.  8  Johnston's  Ag.  Chem.  p.  537. 

9  How  to  Choose  a  Milch  Cow,  pp.  136,  139. 
10  Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  305.  «  Count.  Gent.  July  23, 1853. 

12  Report  of  Conn.  Bd.  of  Ag.  1867,  p.  146. 


BUTTER.  51 

ounces  of  butter  from  20  quarts  of  milk,  —  a  propor- 
tion of  1  to  11 12^  pounds.  In  the  same  volume  is  a 
statement  of  a  proportion  of  1  to  17^  pounds. 

Mr.  F.  H.  Appleton  writes  that  his  cow  Maud 
yielded  butter  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  15T6Q  pounds. 

Four  experiments  carried  on  at  Waushakum  Farm, 
by  churning  small  quantities  of  milk  in  a  bottle, 
give  a  proportion  of  1  to  25  to  28.  This,  however, 
does  not  give  a  true  result  except  as  marking  a 
limit,  for  the  trials  were  not  designed  to  obtain  an 
answer  to  this  question.  A  portion  of  excellent 
Jersey  milk,  churned  about  the  same  time,  yielded  a 
proportion  of  about  1  to  40.  From  incomplete  exper- 
iments we  should  place  the  proportion  for  a  fair  herd 
of  Ayrshires  at  about  1  to  20. 

Mr.  Colman,13  while  travelling  through  Scotland, 
was  told  by  a  farmer  in  Stirlingshire  of  the  highest 
eminence  that  his  Ayrshire  cows,  in  the  best  of  the 
season,  averaged  one  pound  of  butter  per  day,  and 
that  he  had  known  two  Ayrshire  cows  to  make  2 
pounds  2  ounces  each  per  day. 

Mr.  Caird 14  speaks  of  these  cattle  being  kept  in 
Norfolk  County,  England,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
butter  for  the  London  market. 

Mr.  Robert  Wilson,  of  Kilbarchau,  writes  us  that 
he  had  owned  a  cow  that  gave  2  pounds  6  ounces 
daily,  or  16  pounds  weekly;  and  another  that  did 
the  same  on  two  trials  in  two  successive  years. 

In  the  experiments  on  the  food  of  animals,  made 

is  Farmers'  Lib.  iii.,  306.      "  Caird's  English  Agriculture  in  1850-1,  p.  170. 


52  BUTTEK. 

by  Dr.  Thomson,15  the* two  cows  experimented  on 
gave  11 J  pounds  and  8  pounds  in  two  weeks  in 
June.  1 

Jean  Armour,18  the  well-known  cow  of  Mr. 
Peters,  gave  6  pounds  3  ounces  of  butter  in  3  days 
in  July. 

The  cow  Swinley,17  imported  in  1839,  gave,  in 
April,  43  pounds  6  ounces  of  butter;  in  May,  42 
pounds  4  ounces ;  in  June,  44  pounds  7  ounces ; 
total  in  three  months,  130  pounds  1  ounce.  After 
June,  her  milk  was  not  kept  separate  from  that  of 
the  herd.  Largest  yield  for  one  week,  14  pounds. 

A  cow  owned  by  E.  P.  Prentice,18  of  Albany,  gave 
12  pounds  7  ounces  of  butter  on  grass  feed. 

One  of  the  cows  imported  by  the  Massachusetts 
Society  for  Promotion  of  Agriculture,19  gave  in  the 
winter  trial  10  pounds  of  butter  a  week. 

Mr.  Miller,  ot  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  writes  us  of 
one  ot  his  cows  giving  14  pounds  13  ounces  of 
butter  in  one  week  in  June ;  also  of  another  giv- 
ing 14  pounds  11  ounces,  and  of  a  third  which  gave 
13J  pounds  in  one  week  in  July,  1865,  and  18 J 
pounds  the  same  week  in  1867. 

Mr.  Charles  Shepard,  of  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. ,  writes 
us  that  one  of  his  heifers  yielded  14  pounds  butter 
in  a  week,  and  that  one  aged  cow  gave  18^  pounds 
in  one  week. 


15  Thomson's  Food  of  Animals,  N.  Y.,  p.  55. 

16  H.  H.  Peters'  Cat.  1865. 

«  Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  305.    Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1842,  p.  264. 
is  Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1851,  p,  413. 
19  Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  304. 


BUTTER.  53 

A  cow  owned  by  Mr.  A.  S.  Lewis,80  of  Framing- 
ham,  Mass.,  gave  12^  pounds  of  butter  in  a  week  in 
September. 

Two  trials  only,  on  cows  at  Waushakum  Farm, 
resulted  in  1  pound  and  l^g  pound  a  day.  This  was 
in  October. 

20  Ag  of  Mass.  1853,  p.  299. 


54  CHEESE. 


CHEESE. 


ALTHOUGH  the  Ayrshire  is  universally  acknowl- 
edged to  he  a  large  producer  of  cheese,  yet  we  find 
very  few  exact  observations  on  record. 

Eo.  Forsyth,1  about  1805,  states  the  proportion  as 
70  Scotch  pints  of  skimmed  milk  producing  a  stone 
of  marketable  cheese,  and  53  pints  of  new  milk  dur- 
ing the  season.  This  is  a  proportion  of  1  to  8T6^ 
pounds,  if  the  Ayrshire  stone  is  the  weight  referred  to. 

Aiton,2  in  1811,  gives  the  proportion  as  from  50  to 
55  pints  to  the  stone  of  24  pounds  of  sweet  milk 
cheese.  This  is  a  proportion  of  about  1  to  8  or  9 
pounds. 

Again,  in  1814,3  he  states  that  the  usual  estimate 
is  that  55  pints  of  milk  give  an  Ayrshire  stone  of 
cheese.  This  is  a  proportion  of  1  to  8^  pounds. 

In  a  reference  to  Dunlop  cheese4  the  proportion  is 
again  stated  as  1  to  9^  pounds. 

Magne5  gives  a  table  of  the  estimates  of  various 
farmers  in  Ayrshire,  as  follows  :  — 

Mr.  Alexander,  Southbar 22 J     galg.  milk  give  24  Ibs.  cheese. 

Mr.  Sanderson,  Blackcastle 20*        "        "        "27*    " 

Mr.Wm.Peats 23          "        «        "24     " 

Mr.  James  Peats 23^"        "        "24     " 

Mr.  Ranburn 24^"        "        "24      " 

1  Beauties  of  Scotland,  iii,  77.       »  Sinclair's  Scotland,  iii,  69. 

2  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  466.        *  Journ.  of  Ag.  1st  eer.  vol.  v,  p.  363. 

5  How  to  Choose  a  Milch  Cow,  p.  139. 


CHEESE.  55 

This  would  establish  the  proportion  as  1  pound  of 
cheese  to  each  3.872  quarts  of  milk,  or  as  1  to  8|  or 
10.1  pounds,  according  as  wine  or  beer  measure  is 
intended. 

About  Kilmarnock,  in  1869,  we  were  informed  by 
intelligent  farmers  that  3  pounds  of  curd  a  day  per 
cow  was  considered  a  large  yield,  but  2^  pounds  per 
day  was  about  the  usual  quantity,  taking  the  aver- 
age of  all  the  cows. 

Archibald  Sturrock,6  in  1866,  estimates  the  yield 
annually  per  cow  throughout  Ayrshire  at  432  pounds, 
and  for  the  season  of  six  mouths,  384  pounds  in  the 
best  grazing  district,  and  288  pounds  in  the  poorest. 

A  writer  in  18  7  27  says  that  cheese  is  made  in  Ayr- 
shire from  the  time  the  cows  go  to  grass  until  the 
commencement  of  November,  and  the  quantity  each 
cow  is  estimated  to  produce  is  from  3  to  4  hundred 
weight,  or  from  336  to  448  pounds. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Robert  Wilson  places  the  daily 
production  of  cheese  as  3  pounds  for  a  good  average. 
From  3  to  5  hundred  weight  (336  to  560  pounds) 
may  be  reckoned  a  cow's  produce  of  cheese,  —  the 
higher  quantity  when  the  pasture  is  superior  being 
as  possible  as  the  smaller  when  it  is  inferior. 

The  cheese  made  in  Ayrshire  is  a  sweet-milk 
cheese,  mild-flavored  and  rich,  called  the  "Dunlop.'r 
It  was  begun  to  be  made  by  some  farmers  in  the 
Bailliary  of  Cunningham  prior  to  the  middle  of  the 
last  century,  and  it  has  gradually  extended  over  the 

e  Prize  Essays  H.  Soc.  4th  ser.  i,  80. 
7  Milk  Journal,  Jan.  1,  1872,  p.  20. 


56  DUNLOP   CHEESE. 

counties  of  Ayr,  Renfrew,  and  Lanark,  and  in  Gal- 
loway.8 At  the  present  time  there  is  a  considerable 
manufacture  of  the  English  cheddar  in  these  regions. 

Cheeses  made  in  Scotland  are  neither  washed  nor 
rubbed  nor  greased,  on  the  outside,  nor  painted  like 
some  of  the  Dutch  and  English  cheeses,  but  merely 
laid  up  to  dry  on  clean  boards,  in  a  place  neither  dry 
nor  damp,  and  frequently  turned.9 

The  Dunlop  cheese  is  generally  not  so  acrid  in  the 
taste  as  most  of  the  English  cheese,  nor  is  it  so  hard 
and  dry  as  that  of  Holland ;  it  is  softer  and  fatter 
than  either.9  Subjoined  is  an  analysis,  by  Mr.  Jones, 
of  a  cheese  made  in  1845,  and  analyzed  in  1846,10 
expressed  in  percentages. 

"Water 38.46 

Caseine 25.87 

Fat 31.86 

Ash 3.81 

"  Somewhere  about  five  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  morning 
milking  of  the  cows  takes  place.  The  milk  is  carried 
direct  in  the  'higgles'  as  drawn  from  the  cows,  and 
emptied  through  a  very  fine  wire-cloth  sieve  ('the 
milsey'),  or  else  through  a  thin  canvas  cloth,  into 
a  large  '  milk-boyen '  or  tub  standing  in  the  contigu- 
ous diary-room.  .  .  . 

"The  cream  of  the  previous  evening's  milk  is 
skimmed  off,  and  the  remainder  being  warmed  in  a 
vessel  in  the  boiler  to  about  or  fully  100°,  is  then 
added  through  the  sieve,  along  with  the  cold  cream, 

8  Journal  of  Agriculture,  1834-5,  p.  358.  •  Same,  p.  362. 

1°  Journal  R.  A.  S.,  1858,  p.  420. 


DUNLOP     CHEESE.  57 

to  the  morning's  meal  already  in  the  tub,  and  raising 
the  whole  when  added  to  an  uniform  temperature  of 
from  86°  to  88 J.  Milk,  as  it  comes  from  the  cow, 
is  about  96°.  After  stirring  in  the  'rennet,'  the  milk 
takes  about  thirty  minutes  —  seldom  less,  sometimes 
more  —  to  properly  'thicken'  or  coagulate.  .  .  . 
The  breaking  of  the  thickened  fluid  conies  next  in 
course.  This  is  effected,  generally,  by  passing  the 
arm  and  outspread  palm  softly'  and  steadily  in  all 
directions  through  the  coagulated  milk  after  a  short 
time  allowed  for  the  curd  to  subside,  —  most  assisting 
by  pressing  it  gently  down  with  their  palms,  —  the 
whey  is  lifted  off  with  a  suitable  vessel,  and  poured 
through  a  sieve  into  some  receptacle  for  the  use  of 
the  pigs.  The  massed  curd  left  in  the  'boy en*  is 
then  cut  into  about  four-inch  cubes,  which  are  tied 
into  a  wet,  coarse  cloth,  spread  within  a  square 
wooden  box,  with  perforated  bottom  and  sides 
(termed  a  '  dreeper '  or  '  drainer ') ,  and  subjected  to 
a  pressure  of  about  twenty  pounds  or  so.  The  curd 
undergoes  this  process  four  to  six  times,  with  length- 
ening intervals  between,  and  each  succeeding  time 
being  cut  into  still  smaller  pieces,  with  increased 
pressure,  till  the  whey  has  been  as  completely  ex- 
pressed as  the  '  dreeper '  is  capable  of.  ...  The 
broad  lump  of  solid  curd  ...  is  first  cut  into  four- 
inch  cubes  or  so,  and  which  are  then  put  through  the 
curd-mill,  which  fractures  or  tears,  rather  than  cuts 
the  bits  into  fragments. 

"Due  allowance  of  salt  having  been  mixed,  in  the 
proportion  of  1  to  48,  a  fit-sized  'chessat'  (abbrevi- 


58  DUNLOP  CHEESE. 

ation  for  cheese  vat)  is  selected,  and  a  cheese-cloth 
being  spread  within  it,  the  prepared  curd  is  firmly 
pressed  in  with  the  hand,  the  corners  of  the  cloth 
being  brought  up  over  all,  and  the  contained  curd,  it 
may  be,  jutting  some  three  to  four  inches  above  the 
edge  of  this  chessat.  By  this  time  it  is  rather  past 
noon  of  the  day.  Some  then  place  the  chessat  in 
front  of  the  kitchen  fire,  with  the  lid  weighted,  and 
standing  there  for  most  of  the  afternoon,  frequently 
turned  so  as  to  equalize  the  heat,  and  at  evening  it  is 
put  in  the  cheese-press.  Others  warm  the  prepared 
curd  in  a  vessel  before  the  fire  prior  to  making  up 
the  cheese.  During  the  process  of  pressing,  too,  the 
chessat  is  occasionally  brought  to  the  kitchen  fire. 
...  A  certain  degree  of  heat,  tending  to  improve 
the  quality  as  well  as  facilitate  the  pressing,  must  be 
kept  up  within  the  curd  whilst  becoming  solid.  .  .  . 
"The  made-up  cheese  we  put  to  press  towards 
evening  is  taken  out  of  the  chessat  on  morning  of 
second  day,  and  is  then  —  in  very  many  dairies, 
though  not  by  all  —  scalded  with  the  cloth  on  for 
near  an  hour  in  hot  water  fully  as  hot  as  can  be  tholed 
with  the  hand.  It  is  wiped  when  taken  from  the  hot 
bath,  wrapped  in  a  dry  cloth,  and  put  to  press  again. 
It  is  removed  and  dry  cloths  substituted  at  noon  and 
evening  of  same  day,  reversing  the  cheese  in  chessat 
at  each  remove.  Like  performance  has  to  be  gone 
through,  —  it  may  be  only  once  in  some  dairies,  per- 
haps twice  in  others,  and  even  three  times  occasion- 
ally, on  the  third  day,  by  which  time  the  cheese  is 
perfected.  The  dairy-woman  has  thus  always  three 


DUNLOP   CHEESE.  59 

cheeses  iii  hand.  The  cheese  is  then  placed,  without 
more  ado,  wherever  it  is  to  lie,  till  sold  and  sent  off, 
being  reversed  and  rubbed  with  a  dry  cloth  every 
day  for  a  short  time  at  first,  and  afterwards  at  length- 
ening intervals.  None  of  their  inward  coloring  with 
annatto,  or  outside  painting  with  Spanish  brown; 
nor  sweating  nor  greasing  nor  canvas  swaddling  at 
all.  Just  the  naked,  unadulterated  truth."11 

11  Archibald  Sturrock,  in  Prize  Essays  H.  Soc.  1868-7,  p.  89. 


60  MEAT. 


MEAT. 


IN  Scotland,  the  older  cows  and  the  steers  are  used 
extensively  for  the  purpose  of  food.  Almost  every 
reference  to  the  merits  of  the  Ayrshire  breed  refer  to 
their  grazing  qualities.  Thus  Aiton  says  that  their 
beef  is  better  than  that  of  most  other  breeds  on  ac- 
count of  the  fat  being  more  evenly  mixed  with  the 
lean,  and  claims  that  the  dry  cow  fattens  faster  than 
any  other  breed.1  Colman  quotes  an  Ayrshire  far- 
mer who  claims  there  are  no  better  feeders,  and  that 
when  fatted  their  beef  is  as  good  as  that  of  the  West 
Highland  breed.2 

A  reference  in  the  "  Dumfries  and  Galloway  Cou- 
rier "  says  that  there  are  many  instances  in  which 
Ayrshires  of  the  same  age  and  size  with  Galloways 
have  attained  to  a  nearness  kindred  weights.  Two- 
year-olds  of  this  breed  will  give  the  same  price  as 
Galloways  of  the  same  age.3 

Sinclair  says  that  they  fatten  faster  and  to  as  great 
an  extent  as  any  of  the  other  breeds  in  Scotland  ;4 
and  G.  Murray  (in  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  of  England)  says 
that  they  are  of  a  kindly  disposition,  and  feed  readily 
when  tied  up  in  the  stall  or  put  in  good  pasture.5 

1  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  429. 

2  European  Ag.  ii,  318. 

8  July  11,  1842,  quoted  in  Journ.  of  Ag.  xiii,  1st  ser.  p.  228. 

4  Code  of  Agriculture,  p.  19,  note  142  of  notes. 

5  Journ.  E.  A.  S.  1866,  p.  56. 


61 


H.  N.  Fraser,  on  the  contrary,  denies  their  value  for 
feeding  purposes,  and  says  that  they  are  of  slow 
maturity.6 

Quotations  giving  opinions  of  their  value  for  graz- 
ing could  be  indefinitely  multiplied.  The  truth 
seems  to  be,  that  the  shapes  are  not  those  which  are 
most  profitable  to  the  butcher.  They  cut  up  with  not 
such  economy  as  the  Short-horn,  nor  do  they  arrive 
as  early  at  maturity.  As  feeders  they  are  the  equals 
of  many  breeds  used  for  grazing,  when  rightly  treated, 
but  have  not  the  same  aptitudes  which  have  been  bred 
so  especially  in  the  Short-horn. 

In  quality  of  meat,  they  can  hardly  be  excelled ; 
our  experience  in  Glasgow  and  Ayr  in  1869,  and 
with  a  barren  heifer  in  1872,  justifies  us  in  describing 
their  meat  as  fine-grained,  high-flavored,  juicy,  and 
marbled  with  fat. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  catalogue  of  H.  H.  Peters, 
of  Southboro',  Mass.,  will  illustrate  the  capabilities 
of  this  breed,  among  the  hills  of  New  England,  as 
possible  beef  producers.  "The  imported  cow  Ada, 
proving  barren,  was  fattened  during  the  winter  of 
1862-3.  About  the  first  of  April,  1863,  she  was 
slaughtered.  Her  dressed  weight  was  1,009  pounds, 
of  which  the  beef  weighed  882  pounds,  the  tallow  111 
pounds,  and  the  hide  70  pounds.  The  quality  of  her 
beef  was  pronounced,  by  persons  well  qualified  to 
judge,  superior.  It  was  fine-grained,  and  the  fat  and 
lean  so  well  mixed  as  to  produce  the  marbled  appear- 

«  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1868-9,  p.  331.  • 


62  MEAT. 

ance  which  is  highly  prized  by  epicures.  The  meat 
was  also  in  large  quantity  in  proportion  to  the  bone. 

"The  imported  cow  Nannie,  nine  years  of  age, 
dropped  a  calf  in  September,  1862  ;  was  milked  un- 
til July,  1864,  when  she  ran  in  a  short  pasture  until 
November,  without  extra  feeding ;  since  that  time  she 
has  had  meal,  eating  most  heartily,  and  increasing  in 
weight  more  rapidly  than  grade  Short-horns  which 
have  been  fed  with  her.  She  weighed  1,372  pounds 
in  March,  1865. 

"A  full  blood  steer,  three  years  old  March  5,  1865, 
now  weighs  1,332  pounds,  and  girths  six  feet  and  ten 
inches ;  had  never  tasted  meal  until  the  middle  of 
November  last,  four  months  ago." 


THEIR   WORTH.  63 


OPINIONS  OF  THEIR  WORTH. 


As  early  as  1805  the  merit  of  the  breed  seems  to 
have  been  known  beyond  their  home,  and  Ro.  Forsyth1 
mentions  their  presence  and  estimation  in  Renfrew- 
shire, Perthshire,  Dumbartonshire,  and  Stirlingshire, 
and  Aiton2  mentions  their  inroad  into  Galloway  in 
1802.  In  1842  the  "Dumfries  and  Galloway  Cou- 
rier"3 speaks  of  them  as  "creeping  fast  over  Dum- 
friesshire and  Galloway."  In  1872  they  had  been 
around  distant  Inverness  for  a  number  of  years.4 
Their  merits  have  also  been  recognized  in  foreign 
countries,  as  witness  their  exportation  to  America, 
the  Canadas,  France,  Oldenburg,  and  Norway. 

Sinclair5  writes,  "The  Ayrshires  are  perhaps  the 
best  milkers  of  their  size  in  Great  Britain,  and  at  the 
same  time  are  excellent  feeders  when  dry  of  milk,  for 
they  fatten  faster  and  to  as  great  an  extent  as  any  of 
the  other  breeds  in  Scotland." 

The  "  Dumfries  and  Galloway  Courier  " 3  of  July  1 1 , 
1842,  says,  "The  opinion  is  becoming  more  and  more 
general  that  the  Ayrshire  breed  of  cows  is  superior 
to  any  other  in  our  island,  qua  the  pasture,  the  byre, 
and  the  milk-house.  In  size  and  weight  they  suit  the 

1  Beauties  of  Scotland,  iii,  8,  347,  405;  iv,  245. 

2  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  426. 

3  July  11, 1842,  quoted  in  Journ.  of  Ag.  xiii,  1st  ser.  p.  228. 

*  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1872,  iv,  51. 

*  Code  of  Agriculture,  p.  19,  note  142  of  notes. 


64  OPINIONS    OF   THEIR   WORTH. 

grass  enclosures  of  Scotland,  but  especially  of  such 
districts  as  Ayrshire,  Lanarkshire,  Dumfriesshire,  and 
Galloway,  where  such  herbage  as  best  suits  dairy  stock 
abounds.  They  are  easily  fed,  and  in.  proportion  to 
bulk  give  more  milk  than  any  other.  Already,  as 
milkers,  they  have  supplanted  to  a  great  extent  all 
the  other  kinds  in  the  county  from  which  they  take 
their  name.  .  .  .  Galloways,  as  beefers,  are  ex- 
cellent stock,  but  we  have  known  many  instances 
in  which  Ayrshires  of  the  same  age  and  size  obtained 
to  a  nearness  kindred  weights.  Two-year-olds  of 
this  breed  will  give  the  same  price  as  Galloways  of 
the  same  age." 

In  1837  Baron  Malzahn  Sommerstorff,  on  the  part 
of  an  association  in  Pomerania,  imported  185  cows, 
and  he  testifies  that  he  had  found  no  breed  that  gave 
so  much  milk  upon  moderate  food  as  the  Ayrshires/ 

At  the  Universal  Exposition  at  Paris,  "pre-emi- 
nently did  the  Ayrshires  and  Alderneys  stand  first  in 
the  first  division,  and  the  former  received  the  impress 
of  the  approval  of  the  foreign  agriculturist  by  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  were  bought  up,  — a  rapidity 
unequalled  by  that  of  any  other  breed,  excepting  the 
Bretons.  ...  In  reference  to  the  division  of 
the  different  breeds  of  cattle  we  have  given  above  as 
milkers,  we  may  state  it  agrees  with  the  results 
which  have  been  obtained  at  the  Imperial  School  of 
Grignon,  from  carefully  conducted  experiments.  The 
Ayrshires  are  proved  there  to  give  the  largest  quan- 
tity of  milk  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of  food 

e  Alb.  Cult.  Jan.  1, 1844. 


OPINIONS    OF   THEIR    WORTH.  65 

consumed,  the  Swiss  cattle  the  next,  and  the  Bretons 
next."  7 

"M.  Bonnemant,  fully  appreciating  the  valuable 
milking  qualities  of  the  Ayrshires,  and  their  suitability 
for  Brittany,  has  introduced  a  considerable  number 
of  first-rate  animals  of  that  breed."8 

Mr.  Horn,  before  an  English  Farmers'  Club,  pro- 
ceeds, "  I  next  advert  to  the  Ayrshires,  and  I  be- 
lieve, taken  as  a  breed,  they  are  the  most  select  as  to 
milking  properties.  ...  I  hesitate  not  to  state 
that  we  have  no  other  class  of  cows,  taken  as  a  breed, 
that  will  produce  the  quantity  of  milk  for  food  con- 
sumed. Hence  the  high  estimation  in  which  they  are 
held  in  cheese-making  districts."9 

Dr.  Voelcker,10  the  honored  chemist  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society  of  England,  says,  "For  dairy 
purposes  in  cheese  districts,  the  Ayrshires  are  justly 
celebrated ;  indeed,  they  seem  to  possess  the  power 
of  converting  the  elements  of  food  more  completely 
into  cheese  and  butter  than  any  other  breed.  The 
food  in  their  system  appears  to  be  made  principally 
into  milk  and  not  into  meat." 

G.  Murray,11  an  English  writer,  also  states  that 
"  this  breed  stands  unsurpassed  for  the  purpose  of 
the  dairy,  and  has  within  the  last  twenty  years  been 
much  improved  with  special  reference  to  its  milking 
capabilities ;  they  are  of  a  kindly  disposition,  and 
feed  readily  when  tied  up  in  the  stall  or  put  on 
good  pasture." 

7  Journ.  of  Ag.  1S55-7,  vii,  417.     9  Gard.  Chem.  and  Ag.  Gazette,  Sept.  19, 1853. 
«  Journ.  of  Ag.  1857-9,  viii,  233.    ™  J-mrn.  K,.  A.  S.  of  Eng.  xxiv,  308. 
"  Jouru.  R  A.  S.  of  Eng.  vol.  2,  1866,  p.  56. 


66  OPINIONS    OF   THEIR    WORTH. 

John  P.  Reynolds,12  the  Commissioner  from  Illi- 
nois to  the  Universal  Exposition  at  Paris,  in  1867, 
in  reporting  upon  the  horned  cattle  there  exhibited, 
writes,  "At  the  Imperial  Model  Farm  of  Viucennes, 
where  one  hundred  cows  are  kept  for  milking,  and 
the  sale  of  their  product  in  Paris,  the  varieties  are 
Ayrshire,  Brittany,  Swiss,  Normandy,  and  Flemish, 
which,  as  M.  Tisserand  informed  me,  taking  into 
account  the  food  consumed,  rank  for  quantity  of  milk 
in  the  order  I  have  named  them." 

H.  N.  Fraser,13  in  a  prize  essay,  writes,  "  Dairies 
being  very  numerous  in  Dumfriesshire,  Ayrshire  cattle 
occupy  the  most  prominent  place,  cows  of  this  useful 
and  valuable  breed  being  considered  the  best  milkers, 
and  at  the  same  time  easier  kept  than  any  other." 

A  correspondent  of  the  "  Country  Gentleman " 
from  Passaic  Co.,  N.  J.,  writes,  under  date  of 
July  8,  1869,  "Daring  the  last  winter  I  kept  over 
three  Ayrshire  cows  and  three  common  ones,  fed 
them  all  alike,  and  in  the  spring  the  Ayrshires  looked 
fat,  smooth,  and  nice,  while  the  common  cattle  were 
poor  and  ragged,  —  so  bad  that  I  was  ashamed  of 
them,  while  I  was  proud  of  the  others.  Another 
thing  is,  they  give  a  great  deal  more  milk,  and  the 
milk  is  as  rich  as  any  milk." 

Mr.  H.  S.  Collins,  of  Connecticut,  speaks  of  this 
breed  "  being  kept  on  his  farm  with  grades  and  na- 
tives, fed  and  treated  precisely  alike  winter  and  sum- 
mer ;  the  Ayrshires  have  proved  the  most  hardy,  the 

12  Trans.  111.  Ag.  Soc.  vol.  7,  p.  696. 

is  Prize  Essays  High,  and  Ag.  Soc.  1868-9,  p.  331. 


OPINIONS    OF   THEIR   WORTH.  67 

best  milkers,  both  in  first  yield  and  in  holding  out, 
have  kept  in  the  best  condition  on  the  same  food, 
and  have  finally  superseded  the  others  by  their  own 
merits." 

Mr.  Charles  Shepard,  writing  us  from  Ogdens- 
burg,  N.  Y.,  says,  "It  is  admitted  by  all  dairymen 
in  this  section,  that  wherever  the  Ayrshire  blood  pre- 
vails in  the  herd,  that  cow  winters  best  and  produces 
most  on  short  feed." 

Mr.  Edward  L.  Coy,  Washington  Co.,  N.  Y., 
writes  us  :  "  In  fact,  I  never  had  my  natives  keep  in 
as  good  condition,  both  summer  and  winter,  on  the 
same  care  and  feed  as  my  Ayrshires  do." 

Mr.  J.  D.  W.  French,  of  North  Audover,  Mass., 
writes,  "As  compared  with  grade  or  native  stock,  I 
find  the  Ayrshires  hardier  and  easier  to  keep  under 
the  same  treatment "  ;  while  Mr.  F.  H.  Apple  ton,  of 
West  Peabody,  states,  "By  experience  I  call  my 
Ayrshires  very  hardy  naturally.  But  I  think  that 
they  can  be  made  tender  or  hardy  according  to  the 
treatment  they  receive.  This  is  the  result  of  obser- 
vation among  numerous  other  herds." 

Mr.  A.  P.  Ball,  writing  from  the  Province  of 
Quebec,  testifies,  "  They  have  stood  alongside  of  as 
good  grade  cows  as  I  had,  also  by  thoroughbred  Short- 
horns ;  they  are  easier  kept  and  come  out  better  in  the 
spring  on  the  same  description  of  food  than  either  of 
the  first  named.  I  do  not  say  on  the  same  quantity  :  of 
course,  they,  being  smaller  than  the  others,  would  not 
naturally  require  as  large  a  quantity,  but  I  state  the 


68  OPINIONS   OF   THEIR   WORTH. 

same  quality,  giving  each  breed  what  they  require 
and  could  cleanly  consume  without  waste." 

From  H.  W.  Eddy,  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  we  have 
the  following  :  w  My  Ayrshires  are  intelligent,  ambi- 
tious, and  industrious  feeders  universally ;  will 
recognize  a  stranger  instantly  ;  have  never  had  a  sick 
one  except  when  hurt  or  injured  in  somewise ;  and 
the  peculiar  fineness  of  their  nature  and  ambition 
will  compel  them  to  be  upon  their  feet  as  long  as 
strength  holds  out.  They  feed  rapidly  and  earnestly 
when  in  pasture ;  much  more  of  their  time  is  spent 
in  hunting  around  fence-corners,  stumps,  and  other 
obstructions  for  green  and  sweet  food,  such  as  is 
commonly  overlooked  by  the  native  cow.  In  con- 
sequence of  their  intelligence  they  will  resent  an 
injury  and  appreciate  a  kindness,  making  it  very 
necessary  to  treat  them  justly." 

And  with  the  admirable  observations  of  Mr.  Eddy 
we  close  our  chapter. 


ENVIRONMENT.  69 


ADAPTABILITY. 


WHEN  the  dairyman  is  invited  to  examine  a  breed 
of  cattle  new  to  him,  and  is  asked  to  substitute  such 
in  the  place  of  those  with  which  he  has  been  long 
familiar,  his  inquiries  will  be  directed  to  two  aspects 
of  the  proposition :  first,  as  to  the  excellence  of  the 
new  breed  ;  and  second,  as  to  its  adaptability  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  his  situation. 

The  fact  should  not  escape  us  that  all  breeds 
will  not  show  to  equal  advantage  when  brought 
into  the  same  locality.  In  nature  we  observe  a 
nice  fitness  of  the  animal  for  its  place.  In  domes- 
tication we  also  observe  this  predominance  of  nature, 
—  the  yielding  of  the  animal  to  more  closely  fill  her 
environment.  Water  not  more  certainly  seeks  its 
level  than  do  our  animals,  domesticated  and  wild, 
seek  to  correspond  with  the  conditions  within  which 
they  are  placed. 

Bring  the  life  of  the  tropics  into  our  wintry  clime, 
and  how  soon  is  death  around  !  Bring  that  of  the 
more  temperate  zone,  there  is  less  of  death ;  but 
with  the  survival  of  life  in  the  species,  there  is  not  a 
continuance  of  the  shades  of  character  and  resem- 
blance to  its  own.  For  a  while  divergence  obtains, 
until  in  length  of  time  equilibrium  is  restored,  and 
the  breed,  remoulded,  is  uniform  as  before. 


70  ENVIRONMENT. 

When  a  breed  of  cattle  is  introduced  to  a  locality 
to  which  it  is  a  stranger,  the  first  exertion  of  its 
force  is  spent  in  seeking  an  adaptation  to  its  new 
environment.  The  result  may  be  a  retention  of  its 
own  traits,  or  it  may  be  the  loss  in  part  or  wholly 
of  certain  characters  and  the  acquirement  of  new 
ones. 

Suppose  the  improved  Short-horn  to  be  placed  upon 
the  plains  of  Texas  and  to  be  left  quite  to  themselves. 
If  they  survive  the  change,  and  you  seek  them  after 
the  lapse  of  time,  will  it  be  the  Short-horn,  or  even 
the  old  Yorkshire,  that  you  will  find?  Will  you  not 
find  more  of  horn  and  less  of  body,  a  greater  length 
of  leg  and  a  build  for  travel  ?  Will  there  not  be 
more  speed  and  less  fat  ?  Will  not  the  type  conform 
to  the  conditions  within  which  they  are  placed? 

The  dairyman  should  consider  these  things.  Yet 
the  artificial  conditions  to  which  his  cattle  are  sub- 
jected make  the  intention  of  nature  less  apparent. 
The  resisting  force  is  greatest  when  art  is  the  most 
upheld,  and  nature,  its  power  usurped,  only  slowly 
and  perhaps  almost  imperceptibly  intrudes  to  thwart 
her  purposes. 

The  Ayrshire  cow,  removed  to  England,  is  said  not 
to  maintain  her  dairy  qualities  at  the  best ;  there  is 
tendency  to  flesh.  The  American-bred  Jersey  shows 
more  horn,  larger  bone,  and  a  less  deer-like  form 
than  the  Jersey-born.  Have  we  not  seen  the  Short- 
horn brought  from  England,  cultivated  here  for  a  few 
generations,  and  returned,  an  improvement  over  the 
English-bred  ? 


ENVIRONMENT.  71 

Changes  induced  by  change  of  environment,  illus- 
trations of  which  are  numerous,  ought  to  teach  us 
not  to  expect  the  Ayrshire  to  be  always,  or  often, 
when  taken  to  new  countries,  true  to  her  fame.  We 
believe  her  to  be  a  smaller  milker  in  New  England 
in  general  than  she  is  in  Ayrshire.  The  atmosphere 
here  carries  habitually  less  water,  and  there  is  less 
of  nutritious  food  in  our  pastures,  and  more  wear  of 
life  in  obtaining  it.  Yet  she  is  a  larger  milker  in 
New  England,  we  believe,  than  is  any  other  breed. 
Although  our  climate  is  unlike  that  of  Ayrshire,  and 
our  feed  less  milky,  the  sum  of  her  conditions  offers 
not  as  great  contrasts  as  obtains  when  the  Hoi  stein 
is  sought  to  be  acclimated  with  us. 

The  degree  of  hardiness  of  a  breed  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  nature  of  its  home.  The  Ayrshire 
is  exceptionally  hardy.  Though  you  may  not  expect 
to  freeze  her  blood  in  the  yard,  and  at  the  succeeding 
thaw  find  her  milk  flow  unimpaired,  her  coat  sleek, 
and  her  back  straight,  yet  she  will  be  as  profitable 
with  those  who  expect  all  this  from  a  cow  as  any 
other.  But  for  her  sake  we  should  advise  such  not 
to  breed  Ayrshires.  A  pump  with  valves  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  well  will  be  better  property. 

Expose  her  to  hard  fare  and  rough  winds,  she  will 
not  be  handsome,  but  the  constitution  she  carries 
with  her,  and  her  inherited  vigor,  will  be  manifest. 
With  the  bestowal  of  better  feed  and  reasonable  pro- 
tection, the  dormant  forces  of  her  nature  are  awak- 
ened, and  in  uses  she  acts,  and  in  appearance  she 
looks,  the  beauty  of  the  yard. 


72  ADAPTABILITY. 

The  hardiness  of  the  Ayrshire,  her  instincts,  lend- 
ing both  boldness  and  prudence  to  her  character ; 
her  liveliness  of  movement;  her  medium  size,  and 
her  character  for  seeking  her  food,  all  adapt  her  to 
be  useful,  where  many  breeds  would  be  out  of  place, 
and  would  be  spending  their  force  in  contention  with 
adverse  circumstances.  The  Ayrshires  show  their 
superiority  the  most  where  disadvantages  are  to  be 
overcome.  Scant  pasturage,  steep  hill-sides,  sudden 
changes  of  temperature,  and  transitions  from  a  moist 
to  a  dry  atmosphere,  are  not  favorable  to  dairy  in- 
terests. But  among  such  conditions,  as  in  New  Eng- 
land, the  cow  may  be  as  much  a  necessity  as  in  more 
favored  sections  of  the  country.  While  the  Ayrshire 
may  be  as  well,  or  better,  adapted  to  afford  profit  in 
the  favored  localities  than  other  breeds,  we  bespeak 
specially  her  superior  claims  for  such  half-fertile 
localities,  where  as  great  work  is  required  of  the 
animal  in  the  obtaining  of  food  as  in  the  utilization 
of  it. 

We  would  not  be  understood  to  assert  that  she  is 
unappreciative  of  the  clover-field,  where  the  feed  is 
to  her  eyes ;  in  such  her  udder  swells  to  large  pro- 
portions. The  Ayrshires  of  the  western*  portion 
of  New  York  State  show  how  kindly  she  accepts 
generous  fare.  The  cheese  factory  to  which  many  of 
this  breed  are  tributary  tells  the  story  of  their  worth. 

Upon  soils  of  great  agricultural  capacity  the  dairy- 
man has  more  breeds  from  which  to  select  than  he 
who  cultivates  a  soil  of  less  fertility.  To  the  former, 
the  choice  is  equally  open  between  the  larger  and  the 


ADAPTABILITY.  73 

smaller  breeds ;  with  the  latter,  the  smaller  breeds 
only  can  be  considered.  If  a  larger  animal  be  adopted 
than  his  lands  will  carry,  nature  is  ever  at  work  to 
reduce  the  size,  and  only  pampering  care  can  main- 
tain it,  for  the  land  must  eventually  determine  the 
size  of  the  animal.  To  work  against  material  forces, 
rather  than  with  them,  is  generally  most  unsatisfac- 
tory. 


74  THE    IDEAL   AYRSHIRE. 


THE  IDEAL  AYRSHIRE. 


THE  ideal  Ayrshire  cow  is  an  animal  best  designed 
to  fulfil  the  uses  for  which  she  is  intended,  and 
which  at  the  same  time  fills  the  eye  as  a  thing  of 
beauty,  completely  in  harmony  between  her  shapes 
and  functions.  Generations  of  honest  endeavor  to- 
wards an  ideal  more  or  less  perfect  have  developed  her 
into  her  present  proportions.  In  her  is  united  in  a 
completed  whole  all  of  those  good  points  which  are 
recognized  as  indicating  milk-giving  quality,  by  all 
dairymen  the  world  over.  The  large  digestive  ca- 
pacity, the  economy  of  form  and  capacity  of  udder, 
are  her  most  striking  features,  indicating  usefulness, 
while  these  are  united  with  a  straightness  of  back, 
with  openness  of  vertebral  joint  and  comeliness  of 
proportion,  a  brightness  of  eye,  and  that  intelligence 
of  expression  so  attractive  to  the  observer.  She  has 
instincts  ;  she  knows  well  her  wants  ;  and  her  frame 
and  her  body,  her  appearance  and  her  functions,  are 
the  happy  equilibrium  between  the  powers  of  nature 
and  the  powers  of  art. 

To  follow  out  the  line  of  development  of  the  Ayr- 
shire cow,  we  must  commence  with  the  udder,  for  it 
is  here  that  the  effort  after  productive  power  .in  the 
milch  cow  quickly  produced  a  tangible  result.  As  an 
obvious  feature,  this  organ  early  showed  its  relation 


THE   MILK   VESSEL.  75 

to  uses,  and  the  recognition  of  this  led  the  breeder 
to  seek  at  first  an  increase  of  its  size,  and  at  a  later 
period  an  economy  of  its  form ;  and  these  two  united 
produce  a  large  part  of  that  condition  which  we  call 
quality.  The  changes  produced  in  the  milk-vessel 
necessarily  occasioned  correlative  changes  in  the  cow  ; 
and  our  plan  is  to  follow  in  this  line  of  divergence 
until  we  present  the  completed  animal,  our  ideal  of 
the  perfect  dairy  cow. 

The  desired  udder  (and  in  the  best  specimens  of  a 
cow  the  udder  desired  is  very  nearly  realized)  is  com- 
posed of  four  glands,  of  which  the  udder  is  the  sling. 
These  glands  are  enclosed  and  separated  by  a  fibrous 
tissue,  which,  reflected  from  the  walls  of  the  abdomen, 
forms  a  septa  and  support.  These  glands  are  flattened 
rather  than  pointed  or  oval,  as  in  some  other  breeds, 
and  these,  as  well  as  the  septa,  are  noteworthy  for  the 
elasticity  and  tone  of  their  tissues,  as  well  as  for  their 
freedom  from  fat  or  muscular  matter.  The  udder  ac- 
cordingly should  be  close  to  the  body,  level  and  broad, 
and  should  derive  its  capacity  from  the  extent  of  its 
attachments.  The  glands  being  flattened,  free  from 
fat,  and  possessing  a  tone  or  milking  habit,  make  lit- 
tle show  when  not  in  use,  but  snugly  attached  to  the 
abdomen,  are  covered  and  concealed  by  the  soft  skin 
of  the  milk-vessel,  so  wrinkled  and  creased  and 
folded  as  to  convey  to  the  unthoughtful  observer  an 
incorrect  idea  of  its  capabilities  for  extension.  Yet 
the  looseness  of  the  skin,  when  considered  in  connec- 
tion with  the  distant  attachment,  the  glandular  feel 
and  other  well-known  signs,  afford  to  the  trained  ob- 
server indications  of  large  usefulness. 


76  THE   MILK   VESSEL. 

When  filled,  the  udder  should  retain  its  flatness  of 
form,  accompanied  with  a  certain  squareness  of  out- 
line. When  viewed  from  behind  it  should  appear 
broad  and  deep,  extending  far  back,  its  attachments 
loose  even  to  the  vulva,  and  presenting  to  the  sight 
no  hollowness  above  the  glands,  no  clefts,  nor  any 
vacancy  between  itself  and  the  twists  of  the  thighs. 
As  viewed  from  the  side  it  should  extend  well  for- 
ward, and  its  skin  should  merge  into  the  swollen  and 
tortuous  milk-veins.  No  indentation  should  be  seen 
between  the  teats,  and  the  hand  passed  beneath 
should  clearly  render  sensible  the  great  breadth  and 
flatness,  while  the  eye  takes  in  a  levelness  of  sole 
corresponding  to  a  line  drawn  from  a  point  near  the 
brisket,  to  the  hindermost  part  of  the  vessel. 

The  signification  of  this  udder  is  its  harmony  with 
the  uses  for  which  it  is  designed.  The  breadth  of  its 
attachments  not  only  allows  the  vessel  to  have  large 
cubic  contents  with  little  depth,  thus  allowing  the 
glands  to  be  in  closer  proximity  to  the  channels  of 
supply  and  removal,  but  necessitates  other  modifica- 
tions of  structure. 

The  economy  of  the  position  is  such  as  protects 
the  bag  in  the  largest  degree  from  chance  injuries, 
and  the  animal  is  freed  from  the  annoyance  of  the  sag 
in  walking  on  the  road,  or  grazing.  As  the  result  of 
greater  nearness  to  the  heart  and  the  lungs,  the  blood 
has  less  distance  to  traverse  in  its  rounds,  and  thus 
the  freedom  of  its  circulation  is  increased.  In  the 
human  breast  the  difference  in  size  in  favor  of  the 
left  can  only  be  accounted  for  by  its  greater  nearness 


THE    TEATS.  77 

to  the  heart,  the  great  agent  for  supply.  Further- 
more, the  temperature  of  the  close  udder  is  retained 
and  maintained  by  a  less  expenditure  of  force,  that 
is,  food,  than  the  pendent  one,  which  exposes  a  larger 
surface  to  the  air,  and  places  the  obstacle  of  gravity 
to  the  flow  of  the  blood. 

The  teats  should  be  equidistant  and  at  a  sufficient 
distance  apart.  They  are  short,  apparently  from  a  cor- 
relation in  structure  with  the  flattened  gland.  They 
should  be  at  some  distance  apart,  as  indicating  the 
extent  of  gland,  and  set  evenly,  as  indicating  the 
evenness  of  size  of  the  glands ;  cylindrical,  rather 
than  cone-shaped,  as  this  appears  to  follow  from  the 
tone  of  the  tissues  and  type  of  the  gland  of  this 
breed. 

The  length  of  the  udder  is  accompanied  by  length 
of  quarter,  and  the  breadth  of  udder  by  breadth  of 
hip,  for  the  bony  framework  determines  the  distance 
of  possible  attachments.  As  there  seems  a  correlation 
in  this  breed  between  the  breadth  of  the  hip  and  the 
distance  from  the  hip  to  the  buttock,  with  the  broad 
udder,  we  should  expect  a  long  udder.  Hence  the 
broad  hip  and  long  quarter  so  universally  admired  in 
this  cow. 

The  squareness  of  the  udder  in  its  attachments  not 
only  is  indicative  of  capacity,  but  also  of  the  broad 
belly  which  so  almost  universally  belongs  to  the  cow 
which  best  digests  her  food.  The  workshop  of  the 
belly  requires  abundant  room  for  the  storage  and 
transforming  of  supplies,  and  this  space,  which  is  fur- 
nished by  the  broad  hips,  and  required  and  indicated 


78  THE    BODY. 

by  the  broad  udder,  requires  strength  of  loin  and 
back.  Hence  the  Ayrshire  cow  should  excel  in  this 
point.  The  short  ribs  should  be  arched  but  little, 
and  their  length  should  be  great,  so  supporting  the 
skin,  as  to  leave  a  deep  hollow  at  the  flank  when  the 
animal  is  hungry  or  thirsty,  to  be  obliterated  by  re- 
pletion. This  is  indicative  of  the  tendency  to  milk- 
giving  as  contrasted  with  the  tendency  of  laying  on 
flesh  ;  and  such  are  our  requirements. 

The  looseness  of  attachment  to  the  udder  behind 
is  always  accompanied  by  openness  of  vertebral  joint, 
and  this  indicates  a  certain  laxity  of  tissue  and 
vascularity  of  system. 

The  breadth  of  the  udder  with  its  proper  accommo- 
dation not  only  requires  that  there  should  be  breadth 
between  the  thighs,  but  that  these  should  be  thin  and 
flat  at  the  point  which  may  be  technically  described 
as  the  twist,  for  it  is  preferable  to  have  the  pressure 
on  the  udder  from  within  rather  than  from  without. 
The  round  ham  and  fleshy  thigh  is  more  characteristic 
of  the  grazing  than  of  the  dairy  animal.  % 

It  appears  to  be  a  physiological  law  that  when 
nourishment  flows  to  one  organ  or  part  in  excess,  it 
rarely  flows  in  excess  elsewhere.  We  should  there- 
fore expect  that  the  great  development  of  the  udder 
in  its  functional  and  structural  relations  would  have 
an  influence  in  checking  excessive  development  of 
other  parts.  We  accordingly  find  that  the  Ayrshire 
cow  when  in  milk  seldom  lays  on  flesh,  nay,  more  a 
milk-giver  by  inheritance,  she  has  failed  to  develop 
her  forward  parts  in  correspondence  with  the  develop- 


THE    HEART.  79 

ment  of  her  rearmost  half.  Through  the  economy  of 
forces,  the  food  is  sparingly  used  for  the  building  up 
of  parts  beyond  the  necessity  of  the  animal,  but  is 
directed  to  giving  largeness  to  the  parts  that  are 
tributary  to  her  services,  and  to  a  direct  reappear- 
ance in  her  products.  The  appearance  of  lightness 
forward  is  caused  rather  by  the  absence  of  unneces- 
sary flesh  and  the  comparison  with  the  hips  and 
flanks,  than  by  any  deficiency  in  the  constitutional 
functions.  The  demands  of  the  udder  are  a  large 
supply  of  blood,  which  can  best  be  supplied  by  a 
healthy  heart,  not  cramped  by  position,  and  purified 
in  lungs  of  ample  power.  Hence  we  seek  the  appear- 
ance of  vigor  as  indicated  by  the  absence  of  hollow- 
ness  behind  the  shoulder,  by  depth  through  the 
region  of  the  heart,  and  by  the  show  of  abundant 
constitution  as  seen  from  the  front. 

As  the  Ayrshire  cow  is  possessed  of  these  qualities 
which  are  of  value,  we  must  look  for  their  perpetua- 
tion to  the  needs  of  the  reproductive  system,  as  indi- 
cated by  the  hook  bones  being  wide  apart,  and  by 
the  ampleness  of  the  bony  covering,  which,  to  cor- 
respond to  the  parts  as  already  given,  would  be  de- 
scribed as  a  pelvis  long,  broad,  and  straight. 

Heaviness  of  the  neck  is  a  masculine  characteristic, 
and  it  therefore  follows  that  a  departure  from  this 
type  would  be  desirable  in  the  milch  cow.  An  ex- 
tremely thin  neck  has  a  cowey  look,  but  may,  on  the 
other  hand,  indicate  too  great  delicacy  of  constitution. 
The  short,  thick  neck  would  indicate  hardiness,  and 
if  overladen  with  muscle,  would  suggest  barrenness. 


80  THE    BONE. 

To  harmonize  with  our  ideal  we  would  choose  the 
neck  of  medium  length,  clean  and  round  in  the 
throat,  neither  too  thin  nor  too  thick,  and  with  a 
symmetrical  taper. 

The  head  should  have  a  look  of  extreme  femininity, 
—  a  soft,  intelligent,  motherly  expression.  To  attain 
this,  the  nose  must  be  fine  and  tapering  to  the  ampler 
muzzle,  and  the  lower  jaw  neither  heavy  nor  long, 
especially  on  the  broad-faced  type  of  animal.  Breadth 
of  face  seems  accompanied  by  a  certain  refinement  of 
jaw.  The  lower  jaw  is  stated  to  be  homologous  with 
the  fore  limbs,  and  under  the  law  governing  the  de- 
velopment of  homologues,  we  should  expect  the  fore 
limbs  to  be  varied  in  an  allied  manner.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  delicate  and  shapely  head  is  rarely  set 
upon  ill-fashioned  limbs. 

Fineness  and  flatness  of  bone  and  firmness  of  joint 
are  points  which  experience  has  shown  to  be  the 
accompaniments  of  thrift  in  all  breeds,  and  none  the 
less  so  in  a  dairy  animal.  This  partiality  for  econo- 
my influences  us  also  in  our  desire  for  the  diminution 
of  the  bulk  of  those  portions  of  the  body  that  we  con- 
sider useless.  Hence  all  folds  and  wrinkles,  the  large 
brisket,  excessive  growth  of  horn,  and  all  extremes 
in  non-essential  points,  are  discountenanced  by  the 
breeder. 

The  animal  may  possess  all  desirable  points  in 
detail,  and  yet  be  deficient,  in  that  these  characters 
are  not  so  blended  as  to  form  an  harmonious  whole. 
The  totality  of  structure  must  be  sought,  and  be  so 
gained,  that  there  be  neither  unnecessary  weight  nor 


AJ^^IO"! 


THE    SKIN.  81 

bulk,  and  such  an  unison  of  adjustment,  as  to  make 
the  cow  an  exemplar  of  economy  in  its  highest  type. 
In  so  far  as  the  Ayrshire  cow  has  not  attained  to  this, 
must  the  breeder  strive  for  it,  crowning  his  art  with 
this  success,  the  tribute  to  his  genius. 

The  skin  is  not  only  the  covering  to  the  animal, 
binding  together  her  parts,  and  protecting  the  under- 
lying parts  from  exposure,  but  it  gives  support  to 
the  hair,  and  is  studded  with  glands,  and  may  be 
considered  one  of  the  organs  of  the  animal  body,  as 
through  it  is  eliminated  not  moisture  alone,  but  car- 
bon and  other  products.  Reason  as  well  as  experi- 
ence teaches  that  its  texture  and  "  feel "  may  be  indic- 
ative of  certain  qualities  in  the  animal.  It  is  here 
that  we  are  enabled  to  detect  degrees  of  vascularity 
and  thrift ;  and  the  hand,  taught  by  experience,  can 
tell  by  the  touch  the  good  from  the  bad  feeder.  The 
skin  to  be  desired  in  the  Ayrshire  is  neither  too  thick 
nor  of  a  papery  thinness,  but  medium.  It  should  be 
vascular,  that  is,  soft ;  and  although  it  must  not  be 
so  well  underlaid  by  fat  as  in  the  grazing  breeds,  it 
must  be  loose  and  easily  lifted. 

As  some  of  the  glands  of  excretion  are  homolo- 
gous with  the  glands  of  the  udder,  their  appearance 
may  give  us  an  idea  of  some  qualities  of  the  milk. 
By  experiment  we  have  satisfied  ourselves  of  the  re- 
lation of  the  color  of  the  skin  secretion  as  found  in 
the  ear  and  elsewheie,  with  the  color  of  the  butter 
the  animal  affords;  there  is  a  seeming  relation  be- 
tween the  glands  of  the  skin  and  the  lacteal  gland, 
which  suggests  a  vicarious  action,  in  a  measure,  be- 
tween the  two. 

5 


82  FORM. 

The  hair  is  desired  to  be  soft  and  woolly,  on 
account  of  its  protecting  power,  thus  acting  as  an 
assistant  in  economizing  the  animal  heat.  It  is  prob- 
able, however,  that  the  texture  of  the  hair  and  its 
form  is  affected  by  the  climate  to  a  large  extent.  We 
doubt  whether  the  woolly  hair  found  on  many  ani- 
mals in  humid  Scotland  can  be  either  retained  by  an 
imported  animal  or  transmitted  to  progeny  in  the  dry 
climate  of  America.  The  softness  of  the  hair  is 
affected  by  food.  The  oily,  unctuous  feel  of  the  hair 
and  skin  of  the  animal  fed  on  linseed  meal  is  very 
perceptible.  The  functions  of  the  hair  are  seemingly 
to  protect,  and  the  better  it  fulfils  this  purpose,  the 
greater  the  economy  of  the  animal  forces. 

The  breeder  should  desire  to  form  the  animal  in  an 
attractive  mould.  To  do  this  is  to  extend  their  intro- 
duction among  those  to  whom  the  aesthetic  is  of  value. 
Therefore,  fineness  of  form,  as  far  as  is  compatible 
with  usefulness,  is  to  be  praised.  The  small  horn 
beautifully  curving,  the  thin  ear,  the  fine  tail  of  good 
length  and  well  switched,  and  the  color,  each  and  all 
add  value. 

Although  red  and  white,  or  brown  and  white,  are 
colors  towards  which  many  are  partial,  yet  any  color 
but  roan  is  allowable  to  the  thoroughbred.  A  strong 
mixture  of  white,  as  lending  style  and  adding  to  their 
picturesqueness,  in  our  opinion  is  admirable. 

On  account  of  the  importance  we  attach  to  the 
presence  of  the  escutcheon  on  a  dairy  animal,  we 
have  preferred  to  give  the  subject  a  paragraph  by 
itself  in  this  place. 


GUENON'S  SYSTEM.  83 

The  following  language  was  used  by  the  Committee 
on  Agriculture  in  their  report  to  the  French  National 
Assembly  upon  "  Guenon's  Theory  of  the  Milk-Giv- 
ing Properties  of  Cows  "  :  — 

"Admitted  by  our  most  learned  veterinarians  of 
the  Royal  College  of  Alfort  and  elsewhere,  encour- 
aged by  the  Government,  confirmed  by  a  thousand 
proofs,  and  sanctioned  by  your  approval,  the  dis- 
covery of  M.  Guenon  may  now  be  considered  as 
having  reached  the  dignity  of  a  science.  It  applies 
alike  to  males  and  females,  to  calves  and  full-grown 
animals ;  and  from  this  last  fact  we  may  make  this 
fruitful  deduction :  Hereafter  the  farmer  need  rear 
none  but  such  calves  as  will  make  good  milkers,  hand- 
ing over  to  the  butcher  such  as  will  not." 

If  Francis  Guenon  could  inspire  such  enthusiasm 
and  conviction  in  those  appointed  to  examine  into  the 
merits  of  his  claims,  what  may  not  be  allowed  to  him- 
self? He  says,  "  It  did  not  suffice  to  have  discovered 
signs  that  were  characteristic  of  different  sorts  of  cows  ; 
it  was  necessary  to  make  sure  that  the  same  mark 
might  always  be  relied  upon  as  a  positive  and  certain 
sign  of  the  same  perfection  or  defect.  This  could 
not  be  effected  except  by  studying  a  vast  number  of 
individuals,  by  comparing  them  together,  taking  into 
consideration  the  countries  from  which  they  came, 
their  stature,  their  yield.  This  was  not  all ;  they  had 
to  be  classed.  Conceive  what  toil  this  task  involved 
for  me,  a  plain  child  of  nature,  who  had  no  idea  of 
such  a  classification,  and  found  myself  under  the 
necessity  of  establishing  one.  The  endeavor  was  one 


84  ESCUTCHEON. 

to  absorb  me  entirely ;  I  gave  up  my  calling ;  I 
travelled  about  visiting  cattle-markets,  fairs,  cow- 
stables  ;  I  questioned  and  cross-questioned  all  who 
might  be  expected  to  know  most  on  the  subject,  — 
Husbandmen,  dealers  in  cattle,  men  of  the  veterinary 
profession ;  I  became  convinced  that  my  discovery 
had  not  been  anticipated  by  any  one.  The  marks  for 
distinguishing  a  good  cow  from  a  bad  one  varied 
according  to  the  notions  of  each  individual.  Some 
looked  to  the  shape  of  the  horns,  others  upon  that  of 
the  udder ;  some  judged  by  the  shape  of  the  animal 
or  the  color  of  her  hair ;  others  were  determined  in 
their  choice  by  something  else :  but  in  these  various 
modes  of  judging  all  was  vague  and  uncertain.  I 
became  confirmed  in  the  belief  that  I  had  made  the 
important  discovery  of  signs  that  were  positive  and 
certain ;  and  in  order  the  better  to  satisfy  myself  of 
the  solidity  of  the  ground  upon  which  my  method 
was  to  rest,  I  took  the  precaution  to  return  to  the 
same  localities  at  different  times  and  seasons,  that  I 
might  trace  and  ascertain  the  effects  which  might  at- 
tend these  variations  of  nature.  All  my  observations 
were  accurately  noted  down,  and  I  could  at  length 
flatter  myself  with  having  acquired  a  mass  of  facts 
which  gave  solidity  and  consistency  to  my  system, 
and  imparted  the  character  of  positive  certainty  to 
that  which  at  first  had  been  but  a  probable  con- 
jecture." 

But  what  are  the  claims?  The  Agricultural 
Society  of  Bordeaux  reported  that  M.  Guenon 
"has  established  a  natural  method  by  which  it  is 


ESCUTCHEON.  85 

easy  to  recognize  and  class  the  different  kinds  of 
milch  cows,  according  to  — 

"  1st.  The  quantity  of  milk  which  they  can  yield 
daily. 

"  2d.  The  period  during  which  they  will  continue 
to  give  milk. 

"  3d.     The  quality  of  their  milk. 

"  By  means  of  these  signs,  which  are  all  external 
and  apparent,  he  has  established  eight  classes  or 
families,  which  embrace  all  the  varieties  of  the 
cow  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  the  different  parts  of 
this  kingdom.  Each  of  these  classes  or  families  is 
subdivided  into  eight  orders.  It  is  divided,  also, 
into  three  sections,  so  that  each  of  the  sections  com- 
prehends the  eight  orders." 

What  are  the  signs?  In  Guenon's  words,  they  are 
the  marks  w  visible  upon  the  posterior  part  of  "every 
cow,  in  the  space  embraced  between  the  udder  and 
vulva.  They  consist  of  a  kind  of  escutcheons  of 
various  shapes  and  sizes,  formed  by  the  hair  growing 
in  different  directions,  and  bounded  by  lines  where 
these  different  growths  of  hair  meet.  The  varieties 
of  these  escutcheons  mark  the  different  classes  and 
orders  of  cows." 

The  complete,  enthusiastic  acceptance  accorded  the 
method  of  Guenon  in  France,  while  the  author  was 
the  presiding  genius  of  his  own  idea,  shows  that  it 
has  much  value.  Certain,  however,  it  is,  that  in 
England  and  in  our  own  country  the  method  has  not 
been  accepted  in  all  its  original  elaborateness ;  and 
there  is  a  growing  conviction  that  the  author  saw  in 


86  ESCUTCHEON. 

the  upward-growing  hair  more  than  others  have 
found  and  more  than  is  justified  by  trained  expe- 
rience. That  the  quality  of  the  cow  as  a  milk-giver  is 
indicated  in  the  escutcheon  to  a  very  considerable 
extent  we  think  must  be  allowed,  but  we  think  it 
will  not  answer  to  read  there  —  as  Guenon  claim  to 
read  —  the  number  of  pints  of  milk  each  cow  would 
give  daily,  and  much  less  in  precise  terms,  the 
quality  of  the  milk. 

The  internal  functions  of  the  cow  do  not  find  their 
complete  expression,  their  tell-tale,  if  we  regard 
the  animal  in  only  one  of  its  aspects.  In  reason,  we 
ought  not  to  find  her  record  concentrated  within 
the  compass  of  a  few  square  inches,  when  appetite, 
constitution,  size,  and  breed  must  each  and  all 
exert  an  influence  in  determining  yield  and  qual- 
ity. 

Yet  in  the  mark  of  the  escutcheon  we  recognize 
much  value.  We  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a 
very  good  cow  that  had  a  small  escutcheon,  while 
never  have  we  seen  a  cow  with  a  good  escutcheon, 
and  of  a  dairy  aspect  otherwise,  that  was  a  poor 
milker.  We  believe  it  will  be  highly  conducive  to 
the  success  of  the  dairyman  to  regard  this  mark  as 
one  of  chief  importance,  as  it  is  also  to  the  breeder 
in  his  use  of  animals. 

But  in  laying  much  stress  upon  the  escutcheon  we 
would  not  advocate  the  following  of  Guenon's  classi- 
fication in  all  its  minute  details.  It  seems  sufficient, 
as  far  as  our  own  observation  suggests,  that  there 
should  be  much  of  it,  symmetrically  disposed,  and 


SCALE   OF  POINTS.  87 

showing  on  the  two  rearward  lobes  of  the  udder  an 
oblong  mirror  of  large  extent. 

Were  we  asked  to  present  a  scale  of  points  for  the 
guidance  in  breeding  the  model  Ayrshire  cow,  it 
would  take  the  following  form :  — 

Udder.  Capacious,  broadly  attached,  extending  far  forward  and  back, 
closely  held  to  the  body,  the  under  surface  broad  and  flat,  no  clefts,  no 
hollows. 

Teats.  Shortish,  cylindrical,  of  good  texture,  and  set  evenly  at  con- 
siderable distance  apart. 

Milk  Veins.  Large,  tortuous,  disappearing  into  the  abdomen  by  an 
ample  orifice. 

Escutcheon.  Large,  extending  well  upwards  and  on  thighs,  mirror 
marks  large. 

Belly.    Ample,  broad,  deep,  and  well  held  up. 

Head.    Shortish,  forehead  wide;  well  set  on  neck. 

Nose.    Fine  between  muzzle  and  eyes. 

Muzzle.    Open  and  moderately  large. 

Ears.    Thin  and  orange  colored. 

Horns.    Widely  set  on  and  of  moderate  size. 

Neck.  Of  medium  length,  and  straight  from  head  to  the  top  of  the 
shoulders,  free  from  loose  skin,  fine  at  its  junction  with  head,  and  taper- 
ngby  the  symmetrical  enlarging  of  the  muscles  towards  the  shoulders. 

Shoulders.    Thin. 

Brisket.    Light. 

Fore-quarter.  Appearing  thin  in  front  from  the  contrast  with  the 
hind-quarters  and  belly,  but  of  sufficient  thickness  to  ensure  vigor. 

Back.    Moderately  long  and  straight. 

Spine.    Well  defined  at  shoulders,  loose  jointed,  yet  level. 

Short  Ribs.  Slightly  arched,  the  concavity  in  the  flank  at  their  ex- 
tremities responding  quickly  to  digestive  condition. 

Body.    Deep  at  the  flanks  and  in  rib,  broad. 

Pelvis.    Long,  broad,  and  straight. 

Buttocks.    Neither  pointed,  nor  round  and  fleshy. 

Hook  Bones.    Wide  apart,  not  overlaid  with  fat. 

Thighs.    Thin  and  broad. 

Tail.    Long  and  slender,  tufted,  set  on  level  with  back. 

Legs.    Short,  the  bones  fine,  flat,  and  the  joints  firm. 

Skin.    Soft,  moderately  thick,  loose  and  elastic. 

Hair.    Soft  and  woolly,  close. 

Temper.    Quiet  and  docile,  with  nerves  suppressed  rather  than  active. 

Uolor.    To  please  the  breeder,  but  not  roan. 


88  ORGANIZATION. 

It  is  not  merely  necessary  that  the  Ayrshire  should 
conform  outwardly  to  this  type :  somewhat  more  is 
needed,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  consid- 
erations. 

Three  systems,  to  which  all  the  organs  are  directly 
or  indirectly  subsidiary,  are  united  in  the  plan  upon 
which  the  cow  is  formed.  There  is  the  nutritive  sys- 
tem, composed  of  stomach,  intestines,  liver,  pancreas, 
glands,  and  vessels  by  which  food  is  elaborated, 
effete  matter  removed,  the  blood  manufactured,  and 
the  whole  organization  nourished.  This  is  the  com- 
missariat. Then  there  is  the  nervous  system,  which 
co-ordinates  all  the  organs  and  functions,  and  enables 
the  animal  to  entertain  relations  with  the  world 
around  it,  directing  it  what  to  avoid  and  what  to 
approach,  and  without  which  so  much  complexity  of 
structure  as  finds  place  in  her  organization  would  be 
constantly  at  fault.  There  is,  again,  the  reproductive 
system,  by  which  a  succession  of  animals  is  secured, 
and  the  hold  of  the  race  on  earth  assured.1 

The  breed  of  cow  that  we  should  desire  must  have 
these  systems,  each  in  health  and  order.  Eaoh  and 
all  should  be  developed,  not  alone  to  pursue  their 
relations  fitly,  and  to  serve  their  own  specific  uses, 
but  all  developed  in  the  direction  to  render  the 
animal  adapted  to  serve  a  particular  use,  viz.  in  the 
dairy  cow,  the  greatest  possible  utilization  of  food  in 
the  production  of  a  good  quality  of  milk. 

The  cow  in  nature  lives  to  one  end,  the  keeping 

1  These  remarks  are  suggested  by,  and  adapted  from,  Dr.  Clarke's  Sex  in 
Education., 


ACTIVITY   OF   ORGANIC   LIFE.  89 

alive  the  race,  as  plants  have  all  their  energies  con- 
centrated to  produce  seed.  The  domesticated  cow 
lives  to  continue  her  race  and  to  nourish  human 
beings,  so  that  every  support  must  be  given  to  what- 
soever will  tend  to  develop  her  whole  organism  into 
the  form  and  activity  that  conduces  to  this  double 
service. 

Given  the  proper  organs,  perfect  in  form  and 
adaptation  to  ends,  the  cow  may  be  a  poor  thing,  if 
there  is  sluggish  movement  throughout  her  whole 
organization.  To  produce  a  quart  of  milk  an  hour, 
or  half  or  quarter  this  quantity,  signifies  activity  of 
organs.  This  will  appear  when  we  consider  the  waste 
and  renewal  of  parts  that  is  a  phenomenon  of  life. 

Carpenter,  in  his  Physiology,  says  the  whole  struc- 
ture originates  in  a  single  cell ;  that  this  cell  gives 
rise  to  others  analogous  to  itself,  and  these  again  to 
many  future  generations ;  and  that  all  the  varied  tis- 
sues of  the  animal  are  developed  from  cells.  As  fast 
as  one  cell  is  destroyed  another  is  generated.  The 
death  of  one  is  followed  instantly  by  the  birth  of  its 
successor.  This  continual  process  of  cellular  death 
and  birth,  the  income  and  outgo  of  cells,  that  follow 
each  other  like  the  waves  of  the  sea,  each  different 
yet  each  the  same,  is  metamorphosis  of  tissue. 

Bichat  has  defined  life  to  be  organization  in  action. 
The  most  productive  cow,  as  the  most  productive 
man  in  mental  or  physical  labor,  lives  an  intense 
life.  Life,  in  the  sense  of  motion, — birth  and  death 
of  cells  in  the  organism,  —  is  lived  doubly  when  the 

activity  is  of  double  measure. 
6* 


90  QUALITY. 

In  choosing  a  milch  cow,  it  may  be  inferred  from 
this,  her  quality  will  not  always  find  expression  in 
outward  form.  It  is  the  outward  form,  and  the  en- 
gine within  the  form,  and  the  power  of  this  engine, 
that  is  to  be  looked  to.  It  may  occur  that  animals 
of  two  breeds  may  be  found  of  one  form,  but  that 
one  breed  shall  carry  a  quicker  life  than  the  other. 
This  quickened  life  we  conceive  to  be  one  of  the 
marked  characteristics  of  the  Ayrshires. 

It  is  the  animal  that  unites  this  vitality  in  a  form 
that  favors  most  economical  production,  with  parts 
adjusted  in  symmetrical  relations  and  proportions, 
that  constitutes  the  perfect  cow.  When  uses  are 
satisfied,  then  the  possession  of  artistic  excellence, 
such  as  shall  make  her  a  thing  of  beauty,  to  the 
connoisseur  as  well  as  the  plain  farmer,  is  desired. 


1 


W 
Q 

5 
PH. 


THE   AYRSHIRE    BULL.  91 


THE  AYRSHIRE  BULL. 


THE  points  of  the  Ayrshire  bull  should  be  in  many 
respects  those  of  the  cow,  but  modified  by  sex.  His 
head  should  be  broad,  the  muzzle  good-sized,  the 
nose  small,  the  under  jaw  short,  and  the  throat 
nearly  free  from  hanging  folds ;  his  horns  should 
have  size  at  the  root,  as  indicating  vigor ;  his  ears 
thin,  and  of  a  golden  color  within;  his  eye  mild  but 
intelligent,  the  expression,  a  masculine  vigor,  super- 
added  to  the  feminine  type. 

His  neck  should  be  not  too  short,  but  arched,  as 
giving  that  style  which  is  so  attractive.  The  muscles 
strong  and  large,  as  being  masculine  ;  symmetrical  in 
their  development,  and  should  not  originate  from 
too  limited  attachments.  By  this  we  do  not  mean  a 
heavy  neck,  but  large  in  those  muscles  alone  which 
lie  on  the  sides,  well  up,  and  which  are  so  peculiarly 
masculine  in  their  character  as  not  to  be  unduly  trans- 
mitted to  female  progeny. 

The  shoulders  should  be  close  to  the  body  and 
thin,  the  back  broad,  the  spine  not  as  well  defined 
at  the  shoulders  as  in  the  cow,  nor  the  hips  quite  as 
broad.  The  broader  the  hip,  however,  the  better ; 
yet  breadth  of  hip  being  more  of  a  female  character- 
istic, this  point  means  more  in  a  slight  variation  in 
the  bull  than  in  the  cow.  The  pelvis  should  be  long, 


92  THE    AYRSHIRE    BULL. 

broad,  and  straight,  and  the  tail  set  on  level  with  the 
back,  and  without  a  notch  at  its  insertion.  The  body 
should  be  well-ribbed,  deep,  and  of  good  length, 
especially  deep  in  the  flanks.  A  hollow  space  be- 
hind the  shoulders  is  extremely  objectionable,  as 
indicating  deficiency  of  constitution.  The  limbs 
should  be  short,  fine-boned,  flat-boned,  and  firm- 
jointed.  A  curve  in  the  hind  leg  from  the  hock  to 
the  hoof  in  front  is  very  objectionable. 

In  the  thigh  and  the  hinder  parts  must  we  espe- 
cially look  for  the  indications  of  quality  for  the  trans- 
mission of  milk-yielding  shapes.  The  thighs  should 
be  thin  and  flat,  and  so  far  apart  as  to  give  great 
space  between.  Watch  the  animal  in  his  walk  when 
going  from  you.  Should  his  legs  cross,  reject  him. 
Value  him,  if  in  standing  his  hocks  are  well  apart. 
The  dairy  bull  should  transmit  to  his  female  offspring 
the  space  for  the  lodgment  of  the  udder,  for  this 
is  the  key  to  breeding  for  milk.  Look  for  the 
escutcheon,  for  it  is  a  good  feature ;  and  if  there  is 
vascularity  to  be  seen  here,  prominently  indicated 
by  the  skin  and  the  veins,  give  heed  to  it.  We  also 
like  to  see  the  presence  of  teats,  and  the  better  placed 
these  are  the  more  valuable  the  indication. 

The  dairy  bull  must  conform  to  the  type  of  the 
ideal  dairy  cow.  The  points  which  indicate  digestive 
ability  and  space  for  the  lodgment  of  the  udder  must 
be  strongly  characterized.  Hardly  less  important  is 
that  feminine  appearance  joined  on  to  a  masculine 
vigor,  which  is  shown  in  part  by  a  noble  serenity 
of  expression.  s 


THE   AYRSHIRE   BULL.  93 

The  dairy  bull  must  be  especially  free  from  certain 
defects  and  blemishes,  such  as  the  fleshy  buttock  and 
rounded  ham  which  is  followed  by  roundness  of 
thigh.  It  is  a  beefy  mark.  He  must  not  be  too 
heavy  forward.  Not  that  we  would  have  the  strongly 
developed  wedge  shape  of  the  cow,  but  we  would 
have  those  points  which  we  value  so  highly  in  the 
rearmost-half  of  the  cow  strongly  developed  in  the 
bull. 

These  characters  in  the  Ayrshire  bull  must  be 
united  in  that  peculiarity  of  shape  which  is  indicative 
of  the  breed,  and  which  is  so  difficult  to  put  into 
words.  There  should  be  style,  the  long,  slim  tail  and 
bushy  switch,  the  harmony  of  proportion,  and  the 
moulding  of  the  lines  of  his  contour,  and  all  else 
which  constitutes  beauty. 

The  grazier  and  the  dairyman  have  each  for  a  long 
time  sought  to  improve  his  stock,  the  one  for  meat, 
the  other  for  milk.  The  union  of  the  two  in  an 
animal  in  equal  excellence  as  though  they  existed  in 
perfection  separately,  we  believe  is  never  realized ; 
so  that  whenever  it  is  desirable  to  have  milk  or  meat 
in  large  amount,  at  very  low  cost,  it  is  better  to  cul- 
tivate these  qualities  in  separate  breeds,  and  encour- 
age in  each  that  particular  development  conducive  to 
the  quality  desired  in  them. 

No  one  will  hesitate  to  affirm  that  the  meat  breeds 
have  arrived  at  a  greater  excellence  in  the  line  of 
development  for  meat  than  have  the  dairy  breeds  in 
the  line  of  development  for  milk.  The  ideal  of  the 
breeder  has  been  nearer  realized.  Various  causes 


94  THE  AYRSHIRE   BULL. 

have  contributed  to  this.  It  is  only  in  place  here  to 
refer  to  one  as  having  direct  relation  to  the  breeding 
of  Ayrshires,  and  as  directing  us  to  a  knowledge  of 
what  we  should  desire  in  a  bull  of  the  dairy  breed. 

If  we  refer  to  the  Short-horn,  the  Hereford,  the 
Galloway,  and  many  other  races  that  are  acknowl- 
edged meat  breeds,  and  observe  the  type  of  the  male 
and  the  female,  we  find  it  essentially  the  same  for 
either  sex.  In  the  cow  and  in  the  bull  there  is  an  ap- 
proach to  one  form,  modified  only  by  such  differences 
as  attend  upon  sex. 

With  many  dairy  breeds,  perhaps  with  all,  many 
persons  refuse  to  accept  the  principle  that  directs 
the  grazier,  and  conceive  the  cow  should  be  of 
one  type,  the  bull  of  quite  different  type.  How 
frequently  it  happens  at  our  agricultural  fairs 
that  we  observe  a  fine  dairy  herd  of  cows  possessing 
the  forms  that  go  with  the  possession  of  dairy  qual- 
ities in  a  high  degree,  headed  by  a  bull  whose  out- 
lines are  those  of  a  meat  bread  !  In  the  one  sex  the 
outline  is  that  of  the  keystone  of  an  arch,  in  the 
other  the  brick  form  pediment.  Here  is  being  used 
two  typical  forms  of  distinct  functions,  to  effect  one 
form  in  the  female  line  and  another  in  the  male  line. 

Consider  the  comparative  ease  with  which  the 
grazier  obtains  a  bull  satisfactory  to  him  with  the  dif- 
ficulty of  the  dairyman  to  realize  his  idea  in  the  bull ! 

The  meat  breeds  were  early  taken  in  hand  by  mas- 
ter breeders  and  were  greatly  improved.  To  these 
men  we  owe  most  of  the  maxims  and  current  knowl- 
edge of  the  principles  of  breeding.  One  of  these 


THE   AYRSHIRE   BULL.  95 

maxims  is  "Like  begets  like."  The  grazier  uses  like 
in  male  and  female,  and  gets  like.  The  dairyman 
often  uses  one  form  of  animal  in  the  female,  the  form 
typical  for  the  females  of  the  breed,  a  form  in  the  male 
animal  of  a  dissimilar  type,  and  expects  that  unlike 
in  each  generation  will  get  a  uniform  progeny. 

We  know  persons  who  own  Jersey  and  Ayrshire 
stock,  who  have  their  conception  of  the  male  animal  so 
much  fashioned  by  the  model  to  which  a  meat  breed 
should  correspond,  that  they  seek  far  and  wide  to 
place  at  the  head  of  their  herd  a  bull  conforming  to 
this  foreign  mould,  although  they  esteem  less  valua- 
ble the  female  progeny  that  may  conform  to  it. 


II. 

HISTORY. 


IN  those  cases  where  documentary  evidence  is  ob- 
scure, and  but  few  notices  concerning  the  origin  of  a 
breed  are  attainable,  it  seems  the  more  philosophical 
to  first  study  the  condition  of  the  country  and  the 
surroundings  from  which  the  breed  was  evolved. 

Our  scheme  concerns  itself  first  with  the  earlier 
records.  After  presenting  in  general  terms  some 
aspects  of  the  Scotland  of  the  past,  we  shall  next 
call  your  attention  to  the  cattle  known  as  the  White 
Forest  Breed.  A  sketch  of  the  county  of  Ayr  of  the 
past  and  present  will  naturally  precede  the  division 
we  have  devoted  to  the  presentation  of  the  documen- 
tary evidence  concerning  the  origin  of  the  Ayrshire 
breed ;  and  the  history  of  their  origin,  as  founded 
on  the  preceding  chapters,  will  follow  next  in  course. 


SCOTLAND  AND  ITS  PAST. 


HORNED  cattle  are  said  to  be  indigenous  to  Scot- 
land. From  prehistoric  research,  Wilson1  states,  on 
evidence  no  doubt  satisfactory,  that  in  these  early 
times  "  vast  herds  of  wild  cattle  of  gigantic  propor- 
tions and  fierce  aspect  roamed  through  the  chace." 

The  earliest  historical  notice  of  British  cattle  are 
in  the  "  Commentaries  "  of  Caesar,  in  which  he  mentions 
their  abundance,  and  that  the  food  of  the  inhabitants 
was  milk  and  flesh,  to  the  neglect  of  tillage ;  and 
Strabo2  praises  the  bountiful  supply  of  milk,  but 
denies  to  them  the  art  of  making  cheese. 

Darwin3  states  that  JBos  primigenius  existed  as  a 
wild  animal  at  this  time,  and  that  Bos  longifrons  was 
domesticated  in  England  during  the  Roman  period, 
and  supplied  food  to  the  Roman  legionaries.4 

At  this  early  period,  the  savage  time,  so  to  speak, 
the  same  cattle  seem  to  have  been  found  more  or 
less  on  both  sides  of  the  border ;  and  in  considering 
the  wild  cattle  of  Scotland,  it  will  be  useful  to  re- 
view in  some  measure  the  cattle  of  England,  and  the 
state  of  the  country  in  those  days.  Fitz  Stephen,2 

1  Prehistoric  Annals  of  Scotland. 

2  James  Wilson,  in  Enc.  Brit,  xiv,  214. 

s  Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication,  N.  Y.  1868,  i,  104. 
*  British  Pleistocene  Mammalia.    Dawkins  and  Sandford,  p.  xv. 


100  SCOTLAND   AND   ITS   PAST. 

who  lived  in  the  twelfth  century,  speaks  of  the  Uri 
Sylvestris,  which  in  his  time  inhabited  great  forests 
in  the  neighborhood  of  London;  and  in  the  four- 
teenth century  King  Robert  Bruce  was  nearly  slain 
by  a  wild  bull  which  attacked  him  in  the  great  Cale- 
don  Wood.6 

Boethius,6  who  was  born  in  1470,  and  John  Leslie, 
Bishop  of  Ross,  who  wrote  in  1598,7  state  that  the 
wild  cattle  of  Scotland  were  white  with  a  thick  mane  ; 
and  Leslie  expressly  states  were  wild  and  savage, 
and  formerly  abounded  in  the  Caledonian  Woods,  but 
now  were  confined  to  the  region  about  Sterling, 
Cumbarnauld,  and  Kincardine. 

At  this  period  civilization  had  made  some  progress 
in  the  country,  the  Lowlands  at  least ;  and  food,  judg- 
ing from  fragments  of  history,  was  bountiful  and 
cheap.  In  1290  the  monasteries  of  Teviotdale  had 
much  pasture  land,  and  the  minute  and  careful  ar- 
rangement of  their  mountain  pastures,  of  the  folds  for 
their  sheep,  and  the  byres  for  their  cattle,  and  the 
lodges  or  temporary  dwellings  for  their  attendants, 
show  that  they  paid  the  greatest  attention  to  this 
part  of  their  extensive  farming.8  Again  in  1300,  from 
excerpts9  from  the  reign  of  Alexander  III,  we  have 
it  stated  that  the  fields,  the  mountain  pastures,  and 
the  forests  were  amply  stocked  with  cows,  sheep, 
and  large  herds  of  swine  ;  and  even  more  minutely,10 

6  Cosmography  and  Description  of  Albion,  quoted  in  Enc.  Brit,  xiv,  214. 
«  Annals  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  ii,  1839,  p.  281 ;  vol.  iv,  1849,  p.  424. 

7  Low's  Animals,  p.  234, 

*  Innes'  Scotland  in  the  Middle  Ages,  p.  147. 
»  Tyler's  Hist.  Scotland,  ii,  218, 
"  Tyler,  op,  cit.  p.  221. 


SCOTLAND   AND   ITS   PAST.  101 

that  in  the  more  cultivated  districts  cows  were  kept 
in  the  proportion  of  ten  to  every  plough,  but  in  the 
wilder  part  of  the  country  the  number  was  infinitely 
greater. 

It  is  to  be  supposed  that  with  such  numerous 
cattle,  and  with  such  indications  of  the  amount  of 
pasture  land,  some  reference  would  be  made  to  the 
dairy ;  and,  indeed,  from  these  same  excerpts,11  we 
find  that  much  cheese  was  manufactured  on  the  royal 
demesne  throughout  Scotland,  and  as  Tyler  remarks, 
"It  is  equally  certain  that  its  proper  management 
and  economy  was  not  neglected  by  the  clergy  or 
the  barons." 

This  period  seems  to  have  been  one  of  plenty  even 
bordering  on  luxury,  and  it  is  most  probable  some 
attention  was  given  at  this  time  to  the  improvement  of 
the  domestic  breeds.  We  know  from  the  Cartularies 
of  Melrose  and  Kelso12  that  in  the  fourteenth  century, 
many  of  the  nobles  had  breeding  studs  on  their 
estates,  and  from  Rotuli  Scotiae  we  learn  that  Lord 
Douglas  brings  ten  "great  horses"  into  Scotland, 
July  1,  1352. 

King  Alexander,  who  ruled  during  the  last  half  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  showed  an  interest  in  hus- 
bandry, and  caused  a  great  breadth  of  land  to  be 
brought  under  the  plough;  and  according  to  that 
quaint  chronicler  in  rhyme,  Andrew  Wyntoun, 
"Corn  he  gart  be  aboundant." 13 

These  good  old  times  passed  away  (all  Golden  Ages 

u  Tyler,  op.  clt.  p.  221.  "  Tyler's  op.  tit.  ii,  218. 

«  Cronykil  of  Scotland. 


102  SCOTLAND   AND   ITS   PAST. 

are  ancient),  and  in  the  history  of  fightings  and 
treacheries  and  murders,  and  the  great  ones  of  the 
land,  we  lose  account  of  the  agriculture.  It  is  only 
to  be  gathered  that  the  Age  of  Iron  succeeded  this 
halcyon  age  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

In  1570  Ortelius14  describes  the  cattle  of  the 
county  of  Carrick  as  being  of  large  size,  with  tender, 
sweet,  and  juicy  flesh ;  and  our  references  are  thus 
brought  to  the  earliest  mention  of  the  cattle  occupy- 
ing the  county  of  Ayrshire. 

It  is  thus  seen  that  cattle  are  natives  of  the  isle. 
Their  first  appearance  is  neither  recorded  by  history 
nor  by  tradition,  and  their  remains  in  cairn  and  cav- 
ern place  their  antiquity  beyond  our  written  records. 
Thus,  in  a  sense,  they  are  autoctheues,  or  the  product 
of  the  soil.  They  existed  in  a  wild  state  as  late  as 
A.  D.  1200  in  the  neighborhood  of  London,  and  in 
1600  occupied,  in  a  state  of  freedom,  a  circumscribed 
locality  in  Scotland.  During  this  whole  period  do- 
mestic races  existed  in  their  close  vicinity,  and  the 
economy  of  the  dairy  in  A.  D.  1300  seemed  to  be  well 
understood. 

Our  records,  it  will  be  perceived,  refer  to  the 
Lowlands  of  Scotland.  These  were  conquered  by 
Agricola,  and  his  conquest  secured  by  a  chain  of 
forts  connecting  the  Firths  of  Forth  and  Clyde,  A.  D. 
85. 15  But  so  courageous  and  indomitable  were  the 
barbarians,  that  under  the  Emperor  Hadrian,  about 
A.  D.  120,  a  fortified  rampart  was  constructed  from 

"  Theatrum  orbis  Terrarum.  "  Enc.  Brit,  xix,  741,  743. 


ANCIENT    AYRSHIRE.  103 

the  Tyne  to  the  Solway.  In  207  the  country  north 
of  the  Clyde  was  savage  and  uncleared,  and  the  fierce 
inhabitants  in  A.  D.  446  are  described  as  bearing  all 
the  stamp  of  barbarian  life. 

Upon  the  abandonment  of  Britain  by  the  Romans 
in  446,  the  five  tribes  inhabiting  the  region  about 
these  fortifications  became  independent,  and  under  a 
union  formed  a  new  kingdom  termed  Eegnum  Cum- 
brense,  or  more  frequently  the  Kingdom  of  Strath- 
clyde.  It  appears  to  have  included  the  present 
Liddesdale,  Teviotdale,  Dumfriesshire,  Galloway, 
Ayrshire,  Renfrew,  Strathclyde,  the  midland  and 
western  parts  of  Stirlingshire,  and  the  largest  por- 
tion of  Dumbartonshire.  The  tribes  which  formed 
this  community  led  a  pastoral  life,  living  on  the  milk 
of  their  flocks  and  the  produce  of  the  chase.  They 
were  a  race  not  of  dhTerent  descent  from  the  ruder 
tribes  of  the  north,  but  of  improved  civilization.16 

This  v,  as  the  region  in  which  civilization  first  ob- 
tained a  foothold,  and  where  the  labors  of  agriculture 
must  first  have  taken  the  place  of  the  uncertainties 
of  the  chase.  The  only  early  record  of  dairy  prod- 
ucts is  from  within  this  district,17  as  well  as  the 
breeding  of  horses.  As  an  evidence  of  culture  exist- 
ing here  at  an  early  date,  it  may  be  well  to  state  that 
the  immense  Abbey  of  Kelso  was  begun  in  1128, 
and  the  beautiful  Melrose  Abbey  in  1136. 17 

Until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  there 
was  scarcely  a  good  road  in  Scotland.18  In  1678  an 

«  Euc.  Brit.  xix.  741,  743.        "  Black's  Picturesque  Guide  to  Scotland. 
is  Enc.  Brit,  six,  807. 


104  IMPERFECT  ROADS. 

agreement  was  made  to  run  a  coach  with  six  horses 
between  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  forty-four  miles, 
the  double  journey  to  be  made  in  six  days,  and  the 
common  carrier  occupied  a  fortnight  in  journeying 
to  and  from  Selkirk  and  Edinburgh,  a  distance  of 
thirty-eight  miles.19     If  such  were  the  roads  in  the 
more  cultivated  districts,  communication  must  have 
been  exceeding  difficult  in  the  Highlands.     There, 
agriculture  was  neglected,  the  circumstances  of  the 
climate,    soil,    and  disposition   of  the  people   were 
unfavorable ;  and  in  1787  even,  the  imperfect  infant 
state   of  the  agriculture*0   may  be  inferred,  by  the 
coast  inhabitants  or  those  of  the  isles  obtaining  a 
greater  part  of  their  subsistence  by  fishing,  while 
the  more  inland  clans  depended  chiefly  on  their  cat- 
tle and  flocks.     In  1714,  in  the  island  of  Stroma,  in 
Caithness,   there  was  but   one   small   plough.21     In 
1799  the  roads  in  many  places  did  not  pass  by  a 
single  village,  house,  hut,  or  inhabitant,  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles.22 

The  influence  of  these  two  states  of  affairs  in  the 
Highlands  and  Lowlands  are  seen  in  the  cattle.  In 
the  more  nomadic  state  of  the  Highlands  we  find  but 
one  style  of  cattle,  the  Highlanders,23  —  animals  of 
strong  individuality,  varying  among  themselves  ac- 
cording to  the  luxuriance  of  the  pastures  and  the 
effect  of  climate,  from  the  diminutive  Shetland,  the 
ordinary  West  Highlander,  North  Highlander,  and 
the  Runts,  to  the  well-formed  Argyleshire. 

»  Enc.  Brit,  xix,  807.  21  Ibid.  vol.  i,  p.  128. 

20  Prize  Essays  H.  Soc.  1st  ser.  vol.  i,  p.  129.       22  Ibid.,  i,  cxiii. 
23  Youatt  and  Martin  on  Cattle,  passim. 


INFLUENCE   OF   CIVILIZATION.  105 

In  the  Lowlands,  on  the  contrary,  on  account  of 
the  varied  wants  superinduced  by  civilization,  we 
have  a  multiplicity  of  breeds,  each  best  suited  to  the 
exigencies  of  their  locality,  either  at  the  present  or 
some  past  period.  It  is  sufficient  to  mention  the 
Galloway  and  the  Ayrshire.  Where  the  Lowland 
characteristics  and  civilization  invade  the  geographi- 
cal Highlands,  we  find  the  shapes  and  uses  of  the 
cattle  modified,  as  in  the  Aberdeenshire  and  Angus 
breeds. 

The  most  cultivated  breed,  the  highest  product  of 
civilization,  occurs  in  that  locality  where  the  civiliza- 
tion is  the  more  ancient.  We  refer  to  Ayrshire  and 
the  Ayrshires. 

Without  other  information,  it  is  unreasonable  to 
suppose,  with  the  evidence  of  wild  cattle  being 
domesticated  in  England,  that  the  present  cattle 
of  Scotland  are  derived  entirely  from  importations, 
rather  than  founded  on  the  original  stock,  modified, 
in  what  way  you  please,  by  successive  crossings  or 
systems  of  breeding. 

We  are  accordingly  led  to  examine  into  what  has 
been  chronicled  of  the  wild  cattle  of  Scotland,  and 
to  investigate  what  claims  they  have  to  be  consid- 
ered in  the  light  of  a  foundation  upon  which  the  im- 
proved breeds  have  been  builded. 


THE  WILD  CATTLE  OF  SCOTLAND,  OR  WHITE 
FOREST  BREED. 


ACCORDING  to  our  best  authorities,  two  forms  of 
the  ox  tribe,  the  genus  Bos,  existed  in  Scotland  at  an 
early  period,  Bos  primigenius  and  B.  longifrons  of 
Owen.  The  former  was  of  large  size,  and  according 
to  all  accounts  the  color  was  black ;  it  had  white 
horns  with  long  black  points,  the  hide  was  covered 
with  hair  shorter  and  smoother  than  in  the  tame  ox, 
but  on  the  forehead  long  and  curly.  From  the  skel- 
etons preserved  in  our  museums,  the  length  of  this 
gigantic  ox  must  have  been  from  eleven  and  one  half 
to  twelve  feet,  and  the  height  of  the  shoulders  about 
six  or  six  and  one  half  feet.1  Darwin  remarks  that 
the  Pembroke  race  in  England  closely  resembles  this 
ox  in  essential  structure,  and  that  the  cattle  at  pres- 
ent existing  in  the  Chillingham  Park  are  degenerate 
descendants  of  this  breed.2  Bos  longifrons,  on  the 
contrary,  is  described  as  a  distinct  species,  of  small 
size,  short  body,  and  fine  legs.  It  was  domesticated 
in  England  during  the  Roman  period.3  Professor 
Owen  thinks  it  probable  that  the  Welsh  and  Highland 
cattle  were  descended  from  this  species.4 

1  Nilsson,  Annals  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1849,  iv,  258. 

2  Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication,  i,  103. 

3  British  Pleistocene  Mammalia,  p.  xv. 

*  Animals  and  Plants  under  Dom.  i,  104. 


WILD   CATTLE  AT   CHILLINGHAM. 


WHITE    FOREST   BREED.  107 

In  prehistoric  times,  a  continuous  range  of  enor- 
mous forests  covered  the  whole  extent  of  the  coun- 
try, and  the  gigantic  and  fierce  cattle  roaming  through 
the  chase5  fed  on  the  tender  branches  and  buds,  the 
catkins  of  birch,  hazel,  sallow,  and  other  species  of 
willow,6  resembling  in  this  matter  of  feeding  the 
moose  of  the  Canadian  forests.  We  have  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  ancient  islanders  introduced  the 
rudiments  of  a  pastoral  life,  while  yet  living  in  pits 
incovered  with  boughs  and  skins,7  yet  no  evidence 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  native  Britons  had 
domesticated  the  great  oxen  of  the  country,  although 
undoubtedly  they  formed  a  source  of  food.8  In 
Switzerland,  on  the  contrary,  the  lake  dwellers  had 
succeeded  in  taming  these  formidable  brutes.9 

We  have  it  stated  by  Darwin,  that  Bos primigenius 
existed  as  a  wild  animal  in  Caesar's  time.10  There  is 
a  record  of  white  cattle  in  the  tenth  century,  resem- 
bling those  in  the  Scottish  parks,  existing  in  Wales, 
where  they  were  more  valued  than  black  cattle.11 
Boethius,  in  1526,  mentions  them  as  then  existing  near 
Stirling.  "  At  this  toun  began  the  grit  wod  of  Cal- 
idou.  This  wod  of  Calidon  ran  fra  Striveling  throw 
Menteith  and  Stratherne  to  Atholl  and  Lochquabir, 
as  Ptolome  writtis  in  his  first  table.  In  this  wod 
wes  sum  time  quhit  bullis,  with  crisp  and  curland 
mane,  like  feirs  lionis,  and  thoucht  thay  semit  meek 

s  Prehistoric  Scotland,  Wilson's. 

«  Nilsson,  An.  &  Mag  of  Nat.  Hist.  1849,  iv,  269. 

7  Prehistoric  Scotland,  i,  296. 

8  Ibid,  i,  31. 

9  Lyell's  Antiq.  of  Man.    Phila.  1863,  p.  24. 

10  Animals  and  Plants  under  Domestication,  i,  104. 

11  Low's  Animals,  2«i». 


108  WHITE   FOREST   BREED. 

and  tame  in  the  remanent  figure  of  thair  bodyis,  thay 
wer  mair  wild  than  ony  uthir  beistis,  and  had  sic 
hatrent  aganis  the  societe  and  cumpany  of  men  that 
thay  come  nevir  in  the  wodis,  nor  lesuris  quhair  thay 
fand  ony  feit  or  haind  thairof,  any  mony  dayis  eftir, 
they  eit  nocht  of  the  herbis  that  wer  twichit  or  hand- 
illit  be  men.  Thir  bullis  wer  sa  wild,  that  thay  wer 
nevir  tane  but  slight  and  crafty  laubour,  and  sa  im- 
pacient  that  eftir  thair  taking  they  deit  for  importa- 
ble doloure.  Alse  sone  as  ony  man  invadit  thir  bullis, 
they  ruschit  with  so  terrible  preis  on  him,  that  they 
dang  him  to  the  eird,  takand  na  feir  of  houndis, 
scharp  lancis,  nor  uthir  maist  penetrive  wapinnis." 
"  And  thoucht  thir  bullis  were  bred  in  sindry  bouudis 
of  the  Calidon  wod,  now,  be  continwal  hunting  and 
lust  of  insolent  men,  thay  are  distroyit  in  all  partis  of 
Scotland,  and  nane  of  thaim  left  bot  allanerlie  in 
Cumarnauld."12  In  a  remarkable  document,  written 
about  1570,  the  writer  complains  of  the  aggressions 
of  the  king's  party  in  the  destruction  of  the  deer  in 
the  forest  of  Cumbernauld,  "  and  the  quhit  ky  and 
bullis  of  the  said  forest,  to  the  gryt  destructione  of 
policie  and  hinder  of  the  commonweill.  For  that 
kynd  of  ky  and  bullis  he  bein  kepit  thir  money  zeiris 
in  the  said  forest,  and  the  like  was  not  mantenit  in 
ony  vther  partis  of  the  He  of  Albion."13  In  1598, 
John  Leslie,  Bishop  of  Ross,  speaks  of  the  wild  ox 
occurring  in  the  woods  of  Scotland,  of  a  white  color, 

12  Hector  Roscoe,  born  In  1470.    Hist.  Scotorum,  pub.  at  Paris,  1526,  ed.  of 
1574,  fol.  6,  line  63,  occurs  the  passage  quoted  in  An.  &  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839, 
ii,  281,  and  Low's  Animals,  234. 

13  Illustrations  of  Scottish  History,  preserved  from  manuscripts  by  Sir  John 
Graham  Dalyell,  Bart.,  quoted  in  Low's  Animals,  p.  235. 


WHITE    FOREST    BREED.  109 

with  a  thick  mane  resembling  a  lion's,  and  wild  and 
savage.  He  says  that  it  had  formerly  abounded  in 
the  Sylva  Caledonia,  but  was  then  only  to  be  found 
at  Stirling,  Cumbernauld,  and  Kincardine.14  Sand- 
ford,  in  his  manuscript  history  of  Cumberland,  dated 
1675,  says  around  Naworth  formerly  were  "pleasant 
woods  and  gardens  ;  ground  full  of  fallow  dear  fied- 
ing  on  all  somer-tyme ;  brawe  venison  pasties,  and 
great  store  of  reid  dear  on  the  mountains  ;  and  white 
wild  cattle,  with  black  ears,  only  on  the  moores."15 
We  find  them  referred  to  by  Bewick  in  1770,  and  in 
1781  Pennant  speaks  of  them  as  retaining  their  white 
color,  but  as  having  lost  their  manes.16  Conrad 
Gesuer  describes  them  as  "  white  oxen,  maned  about 
the  neck  like  a  lion.  .  .  .  This  beast  is  so 
hateful  and  fearful  of  mankind,  that  it  will  not  feed  ot 
that  grasse  or  those  hearbes  whereof  he  savoureth  a 
man  hath  touched  —  no,  not  for  many  days  together; 
and  if,  by  art  or  policy,  they  happen  to  be  taken 
alive,  they  will  die  with  very  sudden  grief.  If  they 
meet  a  man,  presently  they  make  force  at  him,  fear- 
ing neither  dogs,  spears,  nor  other  weapons." 17 

About  1800  they  are  spoken  of  as  invariably  white, 
with  the  ears  internally  and  externally  about  one  third 
down,  red  ;  horns  white,  tipped  with  black,  and  the 
muzzles  black.18  In  1836  we  begin  to  get  more  par- 
ticular descriptions.  Color  invariably  white,  muzzle 

14  Leslie.  De  Origine  Moribus  et  Rebus  Gestis  Scotorum,  Rome,  1598,  ed.  of 
1675, 18,  quoted  in  An.  &  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  282.  Also  in  Low's  Ani- 
mals, 2*4. 

is  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  1852,  xiii,  219. 

16  Quadrupeds,  16. 

17  Itith Century;  quoted  from  Scherer's  Rural  Life,  p.  627. 

18  Complete  Grazier,  p.  i. 


110  WHITE    FOREST    BREED. 

black,  the  whole  of  the  inside  of  the  ear,  and  about 
one  third  of  the  outside,  from  the  tip  downward, 
red.  The  horns  are  very  fine,  white  with  black  tips  ; 
and  the  head  and  legs  are  slender  and  elegant.19  The 
Earl  of  Tankerville,  the  proprietor  of  Chillingham 
Park,  describes  them  in  1839.  In  form  they  are 
beautifully  shaped,  with  short  legs,  straight  back, 
horns  of  a  very  fine  texture,  as  also  their  skin,  so 
that  some  of  the  bulls  appear  of  a  cream  color.20  In 
1845  Low  says  that  the  eyelashes  and  tips  of  the 
horns  are  black,  the  muzzle  brown,  the  inside  and  a 
portion  of  the  external  parts  of  the  ears  are  reddish- 
brown,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  animal  white.  The 
bulls  have  merely  the  rudiments  of  manes,  consisting 
of  a  ridge  of  coarse  hair  upon  the  neck.21  In  1852 
William  Dickinson  says  that  their  bodies  are  pale 
cream  color,  the  ear-tips  red,  and  the  muzzle  black.22 
In  1868  Darwin  describes  them  as  white,  with  the 
inside  of  the  ears  reddish-brown,  eyes  rimmed  with 
black,  muzzle  brown,  hoofs  black,  and  horns  white 
tipped  with  black.23  Youatt  mentions  the  existence 
of  a  mane  on  some  of  the  bulls,  one  and  one  half  or 
two  inches  in  length.24 

As  a  wild  race  we  hear  of  their  occurrence  at  rare 
intervals.  In  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor 
(1042)  we  are  told  by  one  of  the  abbots  of  St.  Al- 
bans  that  wild  bulls  abounded  near  London,25  and 
Fitz- Stephen,  writing  about  1174,  speaks  likewise 
of  their  occurrence  in  these  woods.26  In  1760  wild 

19  Naturalists'  Lib.  Jardine,  iv,  202.  2S  An.  &  Fl.  under  Dom.  107. 

«>  An.&  M:.g.  of  Nat.  llist.1839,  ii,  277.  2*  Youatt  &  Martin  on  Cattle,  12. 

11  Low's  Animals,  237.  25  An.  &  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  1st  ser.iii,  356. 

»  Jour.  K.  A.  S.  1852,  xiii,  249.  «•  An.  &  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.  1849,  iv,  423. 


WHITE   FOREST   BREED.  Ill 

white  cattle  were  just  extinct  in  the  central  High- 
lands.27 In  1598  their  occurrence  in  Scotland  was 
confined  to  a  few  localities.28  We  are  thus  par- 
ticular in  tracing  the  accounts  of  this  breed,  as 
Wilson  maintains  that  no  sufficient  evidence  has  ever 
been  brought  forward  to  prove  that  these  cattle  are 
entitled  to  the  character  of  an  aboriginal  breed.29 
Of  the  remnants  of  this  ancient  race  we  have  two 
herds,  at  least,  existing  at  the  present  time,  and 
records  of  others  whose  extinction  has  been  com- 
paratively recent.  The  general  descriptions  of  white 
with  colored  ears  apply  to  all,  yet  each  herd  has 
had  its  distinctive  features,  and  we  find  evidence 
of  a  constant  tendency  to  variation,  only  repressed 
by  a  rigorous  selection. 

Chillingham  Castle,  the  seat  of  the  Earl  of  Tanker- 
ville,  is  situated  in  Northumberland  County,  England, 
and  formerly  occupied  one  end  of  the  Caledonian 
Forest,  which  in  former  times  extended  from  sea  to 
sea.  The  wild  cattle  have  been  preserved  in  this 
park  with  care,  and  kept  free  from  intermixture  with 
other  breeds.  They  have  been  extensively  inbred 
from  necessity,  "and  are  accordingly  much  subject 
to  rash,  a  complaint  common  to  animals  bred  in  and 
in."  According  to  Denholm,  they  were  exterminated 
in  1760.  "  Here  (Cadzow  Castle)  so  late  as  the 
year  1760  were  a  few  of  those  white  cattle  with  black 
or  brown  ears  and  muzzles,  once  so  common  in  Scot- 
land. Their  shyness  and  ferocity  of  temper  rendered 

2?  Trans.  H.  &  Ag.  Soc.  4th  series,  v,  294.         »«  Low's  Animals,  234. 
*>  Enc.  Brit,  xiv,  214. 


112  WHITE   FOREST   BREED. 

them  troublesome  and  of  little  use ;  they  were  there- 
fore exterminated  in  the  year  above  mentioned." 30 

We  find  it  recorded  that  the  stock  at  Chillingham 
was  at  one  time  left  without  a  bull,  from  accident  and 
sterility.  Fortunately  one  of  the  cows  had  a  bull 
calf,  and  the  stock  was  preserved.31  In  color,  they 
are  invariably  white,32  or  white33  or  pale  cream  color,34 
or  creamy  white,35  or  white  and  cream  color.36  Their 
horns  are  white  tipped  with  black ;  their  muzzle 
black37  or  brown  ; 38  their  eyelashes  black  ; 39  their  eyes 
rimmed  with  black.40  Their  ears  inwardly  and  about 
one  third  externally,  red,41  reddish-brown,42  or  red 
or  brown.43  Their  necks  have  rudimentary  manes,44 
or  oftentimes  a  mane  from  one  and  a  half  to  two 
inches  long,45  or  no  manes  but  coarse  hair.46  Their 
heads  slender,47  backs  straight.  Legs  short48  and 
slender,49  and  the  hoofs  black.50 

In  1675,  as  we  have  seen,  they  are  described  with 
black  ears.51  In  1770,  according  to  Bewick,  some 

80  The  History  of  the  City  of  Glasgow,  etc.,  by  James  Denholm.     Glasgow, 
1798.    p.  252. 

si  Earl  of  Tankerville,  Annals  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  284.  Nat.  Lib. 
Jardine,  iv,  207,  note. 

32  Nat.  Lib.,  Jardine,  iv,  202,  note. 

33  Darwin,  An.  &  PL,  under  Dom.  i.  107. 

84  Hindmarsh,  An.  &  Mag.  Nat.  ilist.  1839,  ii,  279.  Dickinson,  Jour.  R.  A.  S. 
O  Eng.  1852,  249. 

as  Capt.  Davy,  Milk  Journal,  Oct.  2, 1871,  225. 

*»  Earl  of  Tankerville,  Annals  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  277. 

87  Dickinson,  Nat.  Lib..  Capt.  Davy,  op.  cit. 

88  Low,  Darwin,  Earl  of  Tankerville,  op.  cit. 

89  Low,  Hindraarsh,  op.  cit. 

40  Hindmarsh,  Darwin,  op.  cit. 

«i  Dickinson,  Nat.  Lib.,  op.  cit. 

42  Low,  Darwin,  op.  cit. 

«  Earl  of  Tankerville,  Annals  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  277. 

44  Low's  Animals,  p.  237. 

45  Youatt  and  Martin  on  Cattle,  p.  12. 

4«  Earl  of  Tankerville,  An.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  277. 
47  Earl  of  Tankerville,  An.  of  Xat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  284. 
«  Karl  of  Tankerville,  An.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  ii,  277. 
49  Nat.  Lib.,  Jardine,  iv,  202  note. 
60  Darwin,  An.  &  PL  under  Dom.  i,  107. 

81  Jour.  R.  A.  8.  1852,  xiii,  249. 


WHITE    FOREST   BREED.  113 

calves  appeared  with  black  ears,  but  these  were 
destroyed,  and  black  ears  had  not  since  reappeared.52 
Since  1855  about  a  dozen  calves  have  been  born  with 
brown  or  blue  spots  on  their  cheeks  or  necks,  but 
these,  with  any  other  defective  animals,  were  imme- 
diately destroyed,52  and  Low  speaks  of  the  tendency 
of  the  young  to  be  altogether  black  or  altogether 
white,  or  to  have  black  ears.53  In  Keux's  "Natural 
History,"  published  probably  in  the  earlier  part  of 
the  present  century,  these  cattle  are  said  to  have  lost 
their  manes,  but  to  have  retained  their  color  and 
fierceness ;  to  be  of  a  middle  size,  long  legged,  with 
black  muzzles  and  ears,  and  their  horns  to  be  fine 
and  to  have  a  bold  and  elegant  bend.  The  keeper  of 
those  at  Chillingham  said  that  the  weight  of  the  ox 
was  thirty-eight  stone,  of  the  cow  twenty-eight.  It 
would  thus  seem  as  if  Keux  spoke  from  personal 
observation. 

Dr.  Knox  remarks  that  the  wild  white  bull  of  Scot- 
land, instead  of  having  large  horns  like  the  fossil 
breed,  has  either  comparatively  short  horns,  or  none 
at  all ;  and  when  present  they  follow  precisely  the 
direction  observed  in  those  of  the  surrounding  do- 
mestic breeds.  He  also  says  that  when  calves  are 
taken  from  the  cow  and  brought  up  with  the  domestic 
cattle  of  the  neighboring  farms,  they  grow  up  quite 
gentle,  and  precisely  as  other  cattle.  When  the 
young  are  born  with  red  or  black  spots,  or  without 
tails,  or  very  short  ones,  they  are  uniformly  de- 

»2  Darwin,  An.  &  PL  under  Dom.  i,  107. 
63  Low's  Animals,  238. 


114  WHITE    FOREST    BREED. 

stroyed,  the  noble  proprietor  considering  the  white 
color  to  be  essential  to  their  purity.54  Mr.  Cole,  the 
park-keeper  for  more  than  forty  years,  says  they 
have  no  mane,  but  curly  hair  on  their  neck  and  head  ; 
more  so  in  winter,  when  the  hair  is  long.55  Cully 
says  their  color  is  invariably  of  a  creamy  white ; 
muzzle  black;  the  whole  of  the  inside  of  the  ear 
and  about  one  third  of  the  outside,  from  the  tip 
downwards,  red;  horns  white,  with  black  tips,  very 
fine,  and  bent  upwards ;  some  of  the  bulls  have  a 
thin,  upright  mane,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  or  two 
inches  long.56 

The  Hamilton  Park  cattle  are  often  referred  to  as 
the  cattle  of  the  Chase  of  Cadzow,  after  the  castle  of 
that  name,  the  former  seat  of  the  dukes  of  Hamilton. 
Cadzow  Castle  occupies  a  site  on  the  banks  of  the 
Avon  in  Lanarkshire,  at  one  extremity  of  the  ancient 
Caledonian  Wood.  Aiton,  in  1814,  describes  these 
cattle  as  uniformly  of  a  creamy  white  color,  their 
muzzles  and  the  greater  part  of  their  ears  black  or 
brown,  and  some  with  a  few  black  spots  on  their 
sides.  A  few  are  without  horns,  but  the  greater 
number  have  handsome  white  ones,  with  black  tips 
bent  like  a  new  moon.  Some  of  the  bulls  have  a  sort 
of  mane,  four  or  five  inches  long.  The  cattle  at  Ham- 
ilton and  Ardrossan  are  not  so  fierce  and  savage  as 
their  ancestors,  but  at  Auchencruive  they  still  retain 
much  of  their  natural  ferocity.  Their  backs  are  high 
and  not  so  straight  as  could  be  wished ;  their  chest 

"  Jour,  of  Ag.  ix,  372,  376.  66  Vasey  on  the  Ox  Tribe,  p.  149. 

66  Vasey,  op.  cit.  p.  143. 


WHITE    FOREST    BREED.  115 

is  deep  but  narrow ;  and  they  have  much  the  appear- 
ance of  the  ill-fed  native  breed  of  the  cattle  of  Ayr- 
shire, Lanarkshire,  etc.,  about  fifty  years  ago.57  In 
1845  Low  describes  them  as  with  the  females  gen- 
erally polled,58  and  in  1870  the  bulls  are  credited 
with  black- tipped  horns.59  Their  color  is  given  as 
dun  white,60  or  dingy  white,61  their  muzzles  and  hoofs 
black,62  as  also  the  inside  of  the  ears,62  and  the 
tongue.63  In  the  w  Naturalists*  Library  "  we  find  it 
stated  that  their  bodies  are  thick  and  short,  their 
limbs  stouter  than  the  Chillinghatn  breed,  and  their 
heads  much  rounder,  the  inside  of  their  mouths 
either  black  or  spotted  with  black,  and  the  fore  part 
of  their  legs,  from  the  knee  downward,  mottled  with 
black.64  At  one  time  but  thirteen  remained  alive, 
the  survivors  of  the  cattle-plague  of  the  few  years 
previous.  The  bulls  looked  as  if  they  might  fatten 
to  eight  hundred  or  eight  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
They  had  light  hind-quarters,  but  were  heavy  and 
deep  in  front ;  all  had  black  muzzles,  black  ears,  and 
the  older  beasts  black  tips  to  their  horns.65  We 
were  told  that  some  years  ago  the  herd  numbered 
eighty  or  ninety,  but  all  fell  victims  to  the  cattle- 
plague  except  thirteen,  of  which  eleven  altogether 
escaped  and  two  recovered.  When  the  plague  at- 
tacked them,  they  were  driven  individually  between 

<"  Sinclair's  Scotland,  iii.  44. 

68  L'>w's  Animals,  236. 

»  Uard.  Chron  and  Ag.  G-az.,  Aug.  6, 1870. 

«  Low.  Nat   Lib.,  op.cit. 

6i  Dickinson,  Jour.  R.  A.  S.,  of  Eng.,  1852,  249. 

«  Low,  Nat.  Lib.,  op.  cit. 

63  Low's  Animals,  235. 

M  Nat.  Lib.,  Jardine,  iv,  202,  note. 

65  Gard.  Chron.  and  Ag.  G-az.,  Aug.  6, 1870. 


116  WHITE    FOREST    BREED. 

gradually  approaching  fences,  leading  to  a  large  and 
strong  wagon  sunk  to  the  ground  level,  and  so  cap- 
tured and  taken  to  separate  abodes,  where  they  were 
confined  until  all  risk  was  passed.  They  have  now 
(in  1870)  increased  to  thirty-seven.66 

Dr.  Knox  says  of  these  animals  that  they  differ  a 
good  deal  in  form  from  those  of  the  Chillingham 
Park.  The  markings  also  are  different ;  but  still 
there  is  a  strong  tendency  in  the  young  cattle  to 
cast  calves  which  are  said  to  be  "  off  the  markings," 
and  to  be  either  entirely  black  or  entirely  white,  or 
black  and  white,  but  never  red  or  brown.67 

We  have  mention  of  some  having  been  kept  at 
Ardrossan  and  Auchencruive,  but  no  further  partic- 
ulars, except  that  those  at  the  latter  place  were  very 
fierce.68  They  were  also  kept  at  Bishop- Auckland 
in  1635.69 

The  cattle  preserved  at  Drumlanrig,  the  seat  of 
the  Duke  of  Queensberry,  are  said  by  Darwin  to 
have  become  extinct  in  1780,  and  are  described  as 
with  their  ears,  muzzle,  and  orbits  of  the  eyes  black.70 
Pennant,  writing  in  1781,  speaks  of  them  as  still  ex- 
isting, having  lost  their  manes,  but  of  a  white  color.71 
Dickinson  states  that  two  cows  and  a  bull  were  liv- 
ing in  1821,  but  the  bull  and  one  of  the  cows  died 
that  year.  He  describes  them  as  dun  or  rather  flea- 
bitten  white,  polled,  with  black  muzzles  and  ear- tips, 

«  Gard.  Chron.  and  Ag.  Gaz.,  Aug.  6,  1870. 

67  Jour,  of  Ag.  ix,  376. 

68  Sinclair's  Scotland,  iii,  44. 

e»  An.  Nat.  Hist.  vol.  iii,  ser.  1,  p.  241. 
TO  Darwin,  An.  and  PI.  under  Dom.  i,  107. 
"  Quadrupeds,  16. 


WHITE    FOREST   BREED.  117 

with  spotted  legs.72  Low  says  they  were  destroyed 
many  years  ago  by  order  of  the  late  Duke  of 
Queensberry. 

The  cattle  at  Gisburne  Park,  in  Craven,  County 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  the  seat  of  Lord  Ribbesdale, 
are  mentioned  as  late  as  1852,  as  being  pure  white 
with  brown  or  red  ears  and  noses.73  Low  speaks  of 
their  being  polled,74  and  Bewick  describes  them  as 
perfectly  white  except  the  inside  of  their  ears,  which 
are  brown.  They  are  without  horns,  very  strong 
boned  but  not  high.75  He  also  states,  as  Darwin 
quotes,  that  they  are  sometimes  without  dark  muz- 
zles.76 They  are  said  to  have  been  originally  brought 
from  Whalley  Abbey,  in  Lancashire,  upon  its  disso- 
lution in  1542.77 

The  herd  at  Burton  Constable,  also  in  Yorkshire, 
situated  in  the  District  of  Holderness,  all  perished  in 
the  middle  of  the  last  century  of  an  epidemic  disor- 
der. They  were  of  large  size,  and  had  the  ears, 
muzzle,  and  tip  of  the  tail,  black.78 

From  Garner's  "National  History  of  Staffordshire," 
we  learn  that  the  wild  ox  formerly  roamed  over 
Needwood  Forest,  and  in  the  thirteenth  century 
William  de  Farrarus  caused  the  park  of  Chartley  to 
be  separated  from  the  forest ;  and  the  turf  of  this  ex- 
tensive enclosure  still  remains  almost  in  its  primitive 
state.  Here  a  herd  of  wild  cattle  has  been  preserved 

72  Dickinson,  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  of  Eng.,  1852,  249. 

73  Dickinson,  op.  cit. 

74  Low's  Animals,  238. 

75  Bewick's  Quadrupeds,  8th  edit.  39,  note. 

76  An.  and  PI.  under  Dom.  i,  108. 

77  Bewick's  op.  cit. 

78  Low  s  Animals,  238. 


118  WHITE    FOREST   BREED. 

down  to  the  present  day,  and  they  retain  their  wild 
characteristics  like  those  at  Chillinghara.  They  are 
cream  colored,  with  black  muzzles  and  ears ;  their 
fine,  sharp  horns  are  also  tipped  with  black.  They 
are  not  easily  approached,  but  are  harmless  unless 
molested.79  Low  adds  that  they  frequently  tend  to 
become  entirely  black,  and  that  they  are  of  a  larger 
size  than  those  at  Chill ingham.80 

Wild  cattle,  says  Low,  have  been  or  are  yet  pre- 
served at  Wollaton  in  Nottinghamshire  and  at  Lime- 
hall  in  Cheshire,  England,81  and  Bewick  states  that 
the  ears  and  nose  of  all  of  them  are  black.82 

These  cattle,  in  the  possession  of  ancestral  fam- 
ilies, and  maintained  and  protected  in  parks,  un- 
doubtedly as  a  family  pride,  have  with  difficulty  been 
preserved  through  the  epidemics  and  casualties  of  a 
few  centuries.  Yet,  despite  the  human  care  and  the 
rigorous  weeding  out  of  blemishes,  we  can  see  they 
were  unable  to  retain  in  their  color  or  form  much 
more  than  a  resemblance.  In  the  Chillingham  cat- 
tle the  muzzle  is  described  as  black  or  brown,  the 
ears  inwardly,  and  in  part  externally,  red,  reddish- 
brown,  and  red  or  brown  ;  their  manes  either  short, 
or  rudimentary,  or  not  existing.  We  find  black  ears 
and  blemishes  occurring  at  different  times.  In  the 
Hamilton  herd  we  find  them  generally  with  horns  at 
an  early  date,  but  afterwards  the  females  usually 
polled.  Black  spots  on  sides  and  legs  are  noticed. 
They  are  described  as  possessing  manes  of  from  four 

TO  Vasey  on  the  Ox  Tribe,  p.  140.     si  Low's  Animals,  p.  238. 

»o  Low's  Animals,  238.  82  Bewick's  Quadrupeds,  8th  edit.  39,  note. 


WHITE    FOREST   BREED.  119 

to  five  inches  long,  especially  some  bulls.  Their 
limbs  have  become  stouter  and  their  heads  shorter 
than  the  Chillingham  breed  at  the  other  end  of  the 
ancient  wood.  Those  at  Drumlanrig  have  become 
polled,  presumably  in  both  sexes.  At  Gisburne 
Park,  they  are  not  only  hornless,  but  only  tlie  inside 
of  their  ears  are  colored,  and  occasionally  they  lose 
their  dark  muzzle.  At  Burton  Constable,  among 
their  fertile  pastures,  we  see  an  increase  of  size,  the 
effect  of  the  abundance  of  the  feed ;  and  the  end  of 
their  tails  have  become  black.  In  Staffordshire,  we 
observe  the  tendency  to  become  entirely  black. 

When  even  selection  finds  it  so  difficult  to  preserve 
the  uniformity  of  the  same  herd  for  successive  years, 
and  fails  even  more  glaringly  when  applied  to  differ- 
ent herds  under  varied  circumstances,  we  can  hardly 
be  justified  in  rejecting  these  white  cattle,  as  the 
primitive  or  foundation  stock  of  existing  breeds  of 
that  county  on  account  of  their  color  alone. 

The  wild  state  seems  peculiarly  favorable  to 
uniformity  of  coloring,  as  the  causes  which  have 
operated  to  produce  the  result  on  a  few,  act  likewise 
upon  all,  and  are  constant  in  their  action.  Any 
deviations  from  the  markings  appear  to  become  ab- 
sorbed in  the  multitude,  so  as  to  have  little  oppor- 
tunity for  preservation.  In  civilization,  on  the 
contrary,  we  have  the  element  of  human  will,  a 
highly  complex  and  variable  possession,  which  inter- 
rupts the  apparent  harmony  of  uncultured  nature  by 
rendering  new  combinations  possible  and  probable. 

That  a  slight  interference  with  a  natural  state  will 


120  WHITE    FOREST   BREED. 

produce  variability  of  coloring,  is  well  shown  in  ail 
account  of  the  cattle  of  Paraguay,  by  Azara,  wherein 
it  is  stated  that  the  wild  cattle  are  always  a  reddish 
pard  color,  and  thus  differ  in  color  from  the  domes- 
ticated breeds.83  When  it  is  considered  how  little 
tameness  is  called  domestication  in  these  regions,  it 
is  realized  upon  what  obscure  causes  the  fact  of  color 
must  depend.  Even  in  our  most  ancient  breeds  we 
find  variations  of  color,  as  in  the  Highland,  Galloway, 
and  Devon.84  The  strongest  single  argument  in  favor 
of  these  white  cattle  being  the  forefathers  of  our 
present  stock,  is  in  the  occasional  cases  of  reversion, 
which  occur  in  many  of  the  breeds,  and  oftener  in 
those  whose  connection  with  the  wild  breed  seems 
probable.  In  the  West  Highland  breed,  usually 
black,  the  white  color  and  the  ear  markings  in  many 
cases  return.85  In  the  Ayrshire  cow  we  have  record  of 
two  cases  of  reversion,  to  white  with  red  ears  ;  and  we 
can  remark,  after  a  most  careful  examination  of  Ayr- 
shire cattle,  that  we  have  never  seen  white  ears,  or  ears 
the  tips  of  which  were  other  than  red,  brown,  or 
black.  In  shape  we  have  the  differences  inherent  to 
locality.  Mountain  breeds  are  apt  to  be  lighter  in 
their  hindquarters  than  breeds  occupying  a  plain,  as 
we  are  told  by  Low,86  and  it  is  obvious  to  any  ob- 
server that  semi-domesticated  breeds  are  lighter  in 
the  flanks  and  loins  than  those  breeds  which  have 
been  subjected  to  systematic  breeding.  In  the  Ayr- 


's Nat.  Hist,  of  the  Quadrupeds  of  Paraguiy,  Edinb.,  1838,  73. 

84  Low,  passim. 

85  Low's  Animals,  301.  8<3  Low's  Animals,  305. 


WHITE   FOREST   BREED.  121 

shire  breed,  we  find  the  medium  horn,  often  the 
direction  of  the  curve  with  the  frequent  black  tip, 
pointing  to  the  wild  breed,  as  also  the  white  face,  or 
starred  forehead,  and  the  "  rigged  "  back  occasionally 
or  frequently  recurring,  to  direct  our  attention  to  the 
transition  cattle  between  the  original  stock,  and  the 
recorded  results  of  breeding,  coeval  with  the  ad- 
vanced interest  in  agricultural  pursuits  at  or  about 
1800. 

These  cattle  in  their  present  state  are  easily  and 
readily  tamed,  and  crosses  with  common  stock  are 
occasionally  noted.  Such  with  the  forest  bull  are 
said  by  Bewick  to  invariably  take  the  color  of  the 
father  and  to  retain  some  of  the  fierceness.87  One 
recorded  instance  of  the  crossing  of  a  cow  of  the 
white  breed  by  a  common  bull,  gives  the  color  of  the 
progeny  as  after  the  forest  pattern,  but  with  mottled 
legs.88  Another,  between  the  white  bull  of  the  Ham- 
ilton herd  and  a  Shetland  cow,  produced  a  very 
good-looking  polled  ox,  "  nearty  quite  black,"  and 
greatly  superior  in  weight  to  the  Shetland  cow.89 

When  we  consider  the  small  number  of  these  cat- 
tle, and  the  length  of  time  they  have  been  preserved, 
and  how  narrowly  they  have  escaped  utter  extinction, 
it  is  difficult  to  suppose  that  they  have  been  retained 
in  their  purrty  ;  still  less  when  we  consider  the  dis- 
turbances of  the  times,  the  number  of  cattle  grazing 
continually  in  their  vicinity,  and  the  striking  resem- 
blance which  is  often  shown  to  them  by  cattle  of 

87  Bewick's  Quadrupeds,  41,  note. 

8«  Hindmarsh,  Ann.  and  Mag.  of  Nat.  Hist.  1839,  5i,  280. 

89  Dr.  Knox,  Jour,  of  Ag.  ix,  369. 


122  WHITE    FOREST   BREED. 

other  breeds.  According  to  Low,  individuals  were 
to  be  met  with  in  1845,  in  the  county  of  Pembroke, 
in  no  ways  distinguishable  from  the  wild  cattle  of 
the  Parks,90  and  Aiton  speaks  of  their  resemblance  to 
the  common  cattle  of  1750.  We  have  ourselves  seen 
in  America,  cattle  which  were  pure  white  with  red 
ears,  and  even  polled. 

The  only  explanation  we  can  offer  for  the  vari- 
ations between  the  herds  of  forest  cattle,  and  the 
tendency  towards  variation,  which  seems  from  our 
account  to  have  been  ever  strong,  is  that  these,  as 
well  as  the  domestic  cattle  of  this  region,  are  off- 
shoots from  the  same  original  stock,  the  wild  ox  of 
the  past,  but  that  those  races  we  call  domesticated, 
as  the  Ayrshire,  the  Angus,  the  Galloway,  the  High- 
land, and  others,  have  been  influenced  to  a  greater 
extent  by  the  arts  of  civilization,  the  conscious  or 
unconscious  breeding  for  certain  uses,  and  the  effects 
of  crossing,  than  these  inhabitants  of  the  parks. 

On  this  view  the  White  Forest  Breed  is  a  wild 
animal,  a  descendant,  with  now  and  then  a  bar  sin- 
ister, of  the  wild  breed ;  and  the  domesticated  races 
of  the  country  are  likewise  their  descendants,  but 
with  an  ancestry  hopelessly  confused  and  intermixed 
by  outside  crosses  and  influences. 

»o  Animals,  296. 


THE   COUNTY  OF  AYRSHIRE. 


IN  the  south  of  Scotland,  on  the  western  coast, 
lies  the  County  of  Ayrshire.  The  outline  of  its 
boundaries  encloses  a  crescent-shaped  area,  with  the 
concavity  towards  the  sea,  —  its  length  about  eighty 
miles,  and  its  breadth  varying  from  a  few  miles  at 
the  extremities  to  about  twenty-eight  miles  in  the 
centre,  it  contains  1,149  square  miles,  or  735,262 
acres  of  surface.1  Generally  low  adjoining  the  sea, 
the  land  rises  by  easy  slopes  and  wavy  undulations, 
to  a  ridge  of  high  or  hilly  country,  in  part  almost 
mountainous,  which  forms  its  eastern  boundaries.  No 
portion  can  be  termed  level,  for  numerous  swells  or 
rounded  hills  give  variety  to  the  landscape.  As  the 
slope  of  the  land  is  generally  westerly,  towards  the 
shore,  or  the  valleys  of  the  streams  flowing  thither,  it 
follows  that  the  principal  exposure  of  the  arable 
land  is  westerly  and  southerly,  a  fact  which  is  of 
importance  as  explaining  in  part  the  moderation  of 
the  climate.  The  country  is  well  watered  by  numer- 
ous streams,  which,  rising  among  the  eastern  hills, 
find  their  way  in  a  tortuous  course  to  the  sea. 

*  Jour.  R.  A.  8.  of  Eng.  1866,  p.  426. 


124  AYRSHIRE. 

Ayrshire  is  probably  the  most  densely-wooded 
county  in  Scotland,  although  most  of  the  wood- 
land was  planted  towards  the  close  of  the  last 
century  and  beginning  of  this.  The  growth  is  chiefly 
of  larch  and  Scotch  fir,  but  generally  having  hardwood 
trees  intermixed,  —  beech,  ash,  and  elm  predomin- 
ating.2 More  than  one  half  of  the  country  may  be 
classed  as  unimproved,  being  occupied  by  hills, 
moors,  mosses,  and  lochs.3 

Historically  and  statistically  the  county  is  divided 
into  three  districts,  from  north  to  south.  Cunning- 
ham comprehends  the  whole  of  the  county  north  of 
the  Irvine.  It  is  much  the  most  populous,  and  a 
larger  proportion  of  its  surface  is  cultivatable  than  of 
the  other  two,  and  it  is  the  most  fertile ;  its  whole 
area  is  about  185,000  acres,  of  which  it  is  estimated 
about  fifty-seven  per  cent  is  under  cultivation.  The 
land  rises  from  the  sea-border  by  easy  declivities, 
and  terminates  in  the  pastoral  and  moorland  county 
of  the  eastern  boundaries.  Kyle  occupies  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  county ;  its  boundaries  are  the 
waters  of  the  Irvine  and  the  Doon.  Its  area  is  about 
270,000  acres,  of  which  about  forty  per  cent  are 
under  cultivation.  It  is  less  fertile  than  the  Vale  of 
Cunningham,  and  more  hilly.  Carnck,  or  the  rug- 
ged, extends  from  the  Doon  Water  to  the  southern 
boundary.  This  division  is  generally  hilly,  with  a 
few  fertile  and  productive  valleys.  Of  its  estimated 
area  of  280,000  acres,  but  thirty-four  per  cent  are 

2  Archibald  Sturrock,  Pr.  Essays  High.  Soc.  4th  ser.  i,  24. 

3  Archibald  Sturrock,  op.  cit.  p.  21. 


CLIMATE.  125 

under  cultivation.  Unlike  the  other  districts,  Car- 
rick  is  as  yet  almost  exclusively  agricultural  and 
pastoral.4 

The  climate  of  Ayrshire  is  said  to  be  the  most 
humid  in  Scotland.  The  winds  blow  from  the  west 
and  southwest  for  more  than  two  thirds  part  of  the 
year,  and  the  rains  from  these  quarters  are  frequent, 
often  copious,  and  sometimes  of  long  duration.5  The 
rain  does  not  usually  fall  in  heavy,  casual  plumps, 
but  comes  down  in  more  continuous  succession  of 
steady,  moderate  showers,  or  thick,  drizzling  smirrs.6 
This  is  well-shown  by  a  series  of  statistics  of  the 
rain-fall  in  Kilmarnock,  from  March  to  October,  dur- 
ing the  years  1864  and  1865.  The  average  weekly 
rain-fall  was  .63  inch,  and  in  but  five  weeks  of  the 
sixty  was  no  rain-fall  recorded.  During  the  fifteen 
years  from  1850  to  1865,  out  of  the  214  days  from 
March  to  October,  on  the  average,  109  were  recorded 
as  wet.7  This  constant  moisture  is  favorable  to  the 
grasses,  and  is  an  encouragement  to  dairy  industries. 

The  temperature  is  remarkably  equable,  the  colds 
of  winter  being  mitigated  by  the  passage  of  the  prev- 
alent winds  over  the  adjacent  seas,  and  the  extreme 
heats  of  summer,  in  like  manner  moderated  through 
the  influence  of  the  water.  During  the  season  of 
growth,  the  mean  maximum  and  minimum  tempera- 
ture of  any  week  seldom  varies  more  than  25°,  and 
rarely  does  the  mean  maximum  attain  65°.  The 

4  Archibald  Sturrock,  op.  cit.  p.  21. 

6  Alton's  vSurvey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  18. 

6  Sturrock,  op.  cit.  p.  27. 

'  Thomson's  Pr.  Essays  High.  Soc.  4th  ser.  46,  347. 


126  SOIL. 

mean  temperature  given  for  the  neighboring  city  of 
Glasgow8  for  the  year  is  47°,  and  this  may  be  as- 
sumed for  the  temperature  of  Ayrshire. 

The  soil  is  mostly  clay  in  the  arable  portions. 
Sturrock  estimates  more  than  half  of  the  arable  lands 
to  be  clays  and  heavy  loams.  The  clays  on  the 
higher  ridges  are  thinner  and  nearer  the  till,  of  a 
brownish-red  color  generally,  and  totally  unworkable 
for  green  crops  under  their  climate.  That  kind  of 
clay  soil  hardens  into  a  brick-like  substance  during 
the  occasional  summer  droughts.  As  for  level  w  carse 
clay  land,"  there  is  none  in  Ayrshire.  The  light 
land  is  comprised  mostly  in  a  strip  extending  along 
the  coast,  in  an  almost  unbroken  line  from  the  north- 
ern boundary  to  the  Girvan  River,  from  one  to  three 
miles  wide,  and  perhaps  fifty  miles  long,  close  to 
the  coast,  uncultivated  for  the  most  part,  but  im- 
proving in  quality  as  it  extends  inland.  Consider- 
able extent  of  deep,  light  loam  occurs  through  Kyle 
and  Cunningham,  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  and  more, 
even  of  a  finer  quality,  in  some  of  the  minor  vales  of 
Carrick.  Large  areas  of  peat  and  moor  land  exist ; 
and  although  at  times  some  effort  has  been  made  for 
its  improvement,  but  little  has  been  done  for  the 
past  thirty  years.9 

The  principal  crops  of  the  county  are  grass,  oats, 
and  wheat.  Of  these,  grass  occupied  about  57  per 
cent  of  the  rotation  in  1857.  About  24  per  cent  of 
the  average  was  in  oats,  and  about  6  per  cent  in 


8  Blodgctt's  Climatology,  p.  54. 

9  Sturrock,  op.  cit.  pp.  25  and  26. 


STATISTICS.  127 

wheat.  If  we  class  the  products  under  white  crops, 
so  called,  such  as  wheat,  barley,  oats,  etc.,  and 
green  crops,  which  include  turnips,  potatoes,  beets, 
etc.,  we  have  about  31  per  cent  of  the  average 
under  rotation  for  the  first,  and  11  per  cent  for  the 
latter.10 

The  dairy  is  the  principal  interest,  although  graz- 
ing is  carried  on  to  quite  a  large  extent.  In  1866 
there  were  5.7  cows  for  every  hundred  acres  of  area, 
and  4.6  of  other  cattle, —  a  total  of  10.3  per  hundred 
acres  for  neat  stock.  About  35  sheep  and  2  pigs  are 
kept  for  each  hundred  acres  of  area,  or  a  total  of 
176.9  head  of  live  stock  (not  including  horses)  per 
hundred  acres  of  area  of  the  county.11 

It  is  thus  seen  that  a  general  description  of  the 
county  is  a  semicircle  of  arable  land,  surrounded  by 
hills  suitable  for  pasturage,  there  being  a  natural  dis- 
tinction between  the  tillage  and  pasture  land.  Owing 
to  this  basin-like  character,  from  certain  elevations 
more  land  under  culture  can  be  seen  at  one  time  than 
in  any  other  county  in  Scotland. 

The  population  of  the  county  in  1861  was  198, 971. 1° 
It  contains  valuable  mines  of  coal  and  iron,  which 
give  employment  to  large  numbers,  and  as  a  manu- 
facturing district  it  stands  next  in  importance  to  the 
contiguous  counties  of  Lanark  and  Renfrew.  It  is 
accordingly  well  supplied  with  home  markets,  and 
its  nearness  to  the  city  of  Glasgow  has  a  favorable 
influence  on  its  prosperity. 

1°  Enc.  Brit,  xix,  797. 

11  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  of  Eng.  1866,  p.  426. 


128  EARLY   AGRICULTURE. 

The  first  definite  reports  we  have  of  the  agriculture 
of  Ayrshire  embraces  the  period  comprehended  be- 
tween the  years  1750  and  1760.  Colonel  Fullarton, 
writing  in  1793,  states  that  at  this  time  there  was 
hardly  a  practicable  road  in  the  county.  The  farm- 
houses were  mere  hovels  moated  with  clay.  The  few 
ditches  which  existed  were  ill  constructed,  and  the 
hedges  worse  preserved.  The  land  was  overrun  with 
weeds  and  rushes,  and  gathered  into  such  high, 
broad,  and  serpentine  ridges,  interrupted  with  baulks, 
that  a  man  was  required,  armed  with  a  pole  hooked 
to  the  beam  of  the  plough,  to  regulate  the  width  of 
the  furrow,  a  device  rendered  necessary  by  the  extra- 
ordinary height  of  the  ridges,  some  of  them  being 
nearly  at  an  angle  of  30°.  The  soil  was  collected  on 
the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  the  furrow  drowned  in 
water.  There  were  no  fallows,  nor  green  crops  nor 
sown  grass.  The  ground  was  scourged  with  oats 
succeeding  crops  of  oats,  as  long  as  the  harvest 
would  pay  for  the  seed  and  labor,  and  afford  a  small 
surplus  of  oatmeal  for  the  family ;  then  after  a  period 
of  sterility,  or  overrun  with  thistles,  it  was  called 
upon  for  another  scanty  crop. 

The  farms  were  of  small  size,  and  occupied  by 
mixed  tenants,  and  were  divided  into  what  were  called 
the  croft  or  infield,  and  outfield  land.  The  croft, 
which  was  a  chosen  piece  of  land  near  the  house, 
received  all  the  dung,  which  was  of  small  avail,  and 
which  the  farmers  dragged  to  the  field  on  cars  or 
sledges  or  tumbler- wheels,  which  turned  with  the 
axle-tree,  and  were  hardly  able  to  draw  five  hundred 


FAMINE.  129 

weight.  After  several  crops  of  oats,  a  crop  of  bigg, 
or  four-rowed  barley,  was  taken.  Then  remaining 
in  lay  a  year,  the  land  was  again  broken  up  to  un- 
dergo the  same  wretched  rotation.  The  outfield  was 
kept  in  a  state  of  absolute  reprobation.  It  was 
cropped  with  oats  and  grass,  without  dung  or  other 
manure. 

As  there  were  few  or  no  enclosures,  the  cattle 
were  either  tethered  or  herded  during  the  summer 
months,  and  from  the  end  of  harvest,  till  the  ensuing 
seed-time,  were  suffered  to  poach  the  fields.  Starved 
during  the  winter,  they  were  scarcely  able  to  rise 
without  aid  in  the  spring,  and  perpetually  harassed 
during  summer,  were  never  in  a  fit  condition  for 
market. 

The  state  of  the  markets  was  so  low,  and  so  little 
public  credit  established,  that  no  tenant"  could 
command  money  to  stock  his  farm,  and  few  land- 
lords could  raise  the  means  for  improving  their 
estates. 

The  consequences  of  this  mismanagement  were  de- 
plorable. The  people,  having  hardly  any  substitute 
for  oatmeal,  were  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  season. 
The  price  of  meal  fluctuated,  and  in  unfavorable  sea- 
sous  dearth  or  famine  unavoidably  ensued.  About 
the  year  1700  there  were  a  succession  of  bad 
seasons,  which  reduced  the  county  of  Ayr  to  the 
lowest  gradation  of  want,  and  hundreds  of  families 
had  to  fly  for  subsistence  to  the  north  of  Ireland.  In 
these  seasons  of  misery,  the  poor  people  not  unfre- 
quently  have  been  obliged  to  subsist  by  bleeding 

7 


130  IGNORANCE    AND   BIGOTRY. 

their  cattle,  and  mixing  the  blood  so  procured  with 
what. oatmeal  they  could  obtain.12 

At  this  period,  the  farmers  were  altogether  ignor- 
ant of  the  fundamental  principles  of  agriculture,  and 
were  so  much  preoccupied  with  mysterious  and  ab- 
struse points  of  systematic  divinity  that  they  sought 
for  no  other  knowledge ;  and  the  time  which  should 
have  been  spent  on  the  farm,  was  occupied  in  the  labors 
of  reform,  in  demolishing  churches,  and  hunting  down 
the  popish  clergy,  who  were  the  best  farmers  then  in 
Scotland.  A  good  crop  they  imputed  to  the  favor, 
and  a  bad  one  to  the  frowns  of  Heaven,  and,  know- 
ing nothing  of  the  principles  of  vegetation,  sought 
their  agricultural  returns  by  greater  sanctity  and 
longer  prayers,  in  the  place  of  that  labor  which 
springs  from  understanding.13  Innovations  were 
resisted.  The  introduction  of  a  winnowing  machine 
was  noticed  from  the  pulpit,  and  prejudice  fostered 
against  it,  even  to  the  extent  of  calling  it  the  "De'il's 
wind."  Accidents  happening  to  those  seeking  agri- 
cultural reform  were  considered  special  providences, 
expressing  the  disapprobation  of  Deity. 

Alton,  in  speaking  of  the  enclosures  of  the  county, 
remarks  that  there  were  no  dykes  in  Ayrshire  till 
about  the  year  1750,  and  very  few  till  after  1760. 
Nine  tenths  of  the  fences  have  been  formed  since 
1766.14 

Mr.  Robertson,   one  of  the  ministers  of  Kilmar- 

12  Quoted  in  Alton's  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  69.      See  also  a  similar  account, 
Farmers'  Mag.  vol.  15,  p.  173. 

13  Alton,  op.  cit.  p.  74.       Read,  also,  chap  v,  vol.  2,  of  Buckle's  History  of 
Civilization  in  England. 

14  Op,  cit.  p.  221.    See,  also,  Farmers'  Mag.  vol.  15, 173. 


WRETCHEDNESS    OF   COUNTRY.  131 

nock,  says  that  about  1760  no  enclosures  were  to  be 
seen,  except  perhaps  one  or  two  around  a  gentle- 
man's seat,  in  all  the  wide-extended  and  beautiful 
plain  of  Cunningham.  Here  at  the  end  of  harvest, 
when  the  crop  was  carried  into  the  barn-yard  fro-m 
the  fields,  the  whole  county  had  the  appearance  of  a 
wild  and  dreary  common,  and  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
but  here  and  there  a  poor  barn  and  homely  hut,  where 
the  farmer  and  his  family  were  lodged.  The  cattle 
roamed  at  pleasure  and  poached  all  the  arable  ground, 
now  saturated  with  the  winter  rains,  so  that  it  was 
spoiled  for  the  crop  of  the  following  year.15 

Yet  there  must  have  been  some  exceptions  to  this 
account,  although  it  probably  describes  the  general 
state  of  the  county.  The  parish  of  Dunlop  appears 
to  have  been  distinguished  agriculturally  as  early  as 
1700,16  and  in  1740  a  Mr.  Boyd  purchased  a  cow  at 
the  then  unprecedented  price  of  £2  2s.17  The  fact 
of  people  coming  from  a  considerable  distance  to 
obtain  a  sight  of  such  a  famous  animal  would  indicate 
that  the  seeds  of  progress  were  dormant,  rather  than 
dead,  in  the  community,  and  that  occasional  improve- 
ments or  efforts  towards  change  must  have  been 
taking  place. 

In  1804  we  find  all  the  wretchedness  changed. 
"Were  a  person  now  to  stand,"  says  a  writer  in  the 
"  Farmer's  Magazine  "  of  that  year,  "  upon  an  emi- 
nence, and  survey  the  beautiful  plains  of  Kyle  and 
Cunningham,  with  a  considerable  part  of  Carrick,  he 

is  Farmer's  Magazine,  1804,  p.  73.     *c  Forsyth's  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439. 
"  Alton,  op.  cit.  p.  172. 


132  RENTS. 

would  see  the  hedges,  belts,  and  clumps  of  trees 
already  grown  to  considerable  height,  fields  brought 
into  regularity  and  order,  and  spirit  and  activity 
everywhere  displayed  upon  something  like  systematic 
principles." 

The  change  is  further  seen  by  the  rent  and  value 
of  lands  at  these  different  periods.  The  rent  of  the 
whole  parish  of  Ardrossan  was  about  £603  in  1749, 
£3,433  in  1795,  and  £6,098  in  1*08. 18  In  Grougar 
parish,  Aiton  gives  the  valuation  of  one  piece  of  70 
acres  at  £170  in  1742,  and  £7,000  in  1811.  The 
whole  arable  lands  of  the  parish  of  Kilmarnock  were 
placed  in  1763  at  2J  to  3  shillings  per  acre ;  their 
rental  in  1811  was  twenty  times  that  sum.19  Yet 
during  this  time  the  price  of  wheat,  taken  in  average 
periods  of  ten  years,  had  changed  but  very  little ; 
the  price  of  bear  or  barley  had  advanced  greatly, 
while  there  was  a  steady  advance  in  the  price  of  oats 
and  oatmeal.20  But  little  wheat  could  have  entered 
into  the  consumption  of  the  people,  for  until  the  year 
1785  but  little  was  seen  beyond  the  limits  of  a  noble- 
man's farm.21  The  increase  in  the  price  of  the  staple 
products  of  oats  and  barley  could  not  have  justified 
the  increased  rents,  were  it  not  for  the  increased 
production. 

It  may  be  well  to  inquire  into  the  causes  for  this 
change.  The  atrocious  religious  persecutions  had  left 
the  country  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  in 
a  bad  state,  and  had  imbued  the  people  of  the  earlier 

18  Aiton,  op.  cit.  p.  168.  20  Aiton,  op.  cit.  p.  171. 

^  Aiton,  op.  cit.  p.  169.  21  Gazetteer  of  Scotland,  i,  90. 


AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETIES.  133 

portions  of , the  eighteenth  century  with  a  religions 
fanaticism,  which  hindered  progress,  and  bordered  on 
criminality  in  its  interference  with  the  development 
of  the  country.22  With  the  revolution  of  1688,  a 
new  era  commenced  in  the  legislation  on  corn,  and 
soon  after  in  the  practice  of  the  cultivator  in  Brit- 
ain ; 23  and  the  greater  attention  paid  to  improve- 
ment, as  following  the  tendency  of  the  times,  was 
not  without  its  effect  in  Scotland.  In  1723  a  society 
was  formed  for  the  Improvement  of  Agriculture,  of 
which  the  Earl  of  Stair  was  a  most  active  member ; 
but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  influence  of 
the  example  of  its  numerous  members  did  not  extend 
to  the  common  tenantry.24  It  is  worthy  of  remark 
that  farmers  are  at  all  times  tardy  and  reluctant  in 
following  the  example  of  those  possessing  wealth ; 
whereas,  when  a  person  who  depends  upon  the  suc- 
cess of  his  industry  for  his  subsistence,  prospers  in 
his  pursuits,  his  example  is  quickly  followed  byk 
others  in  his  neighborhood. 

The  County  of  Ayrshire  contained  within  itself, 
however,  the  elements  of  reform ;  and  Alexander, 
Earl  of  Eglinton,  commenced  the  improvement  of  his 
large  estate  about  1730.'  He  spurred  the  industry  of 
his  tenants  by  personal  appeals,  opened  quarries,  laid 
off  roads,  plantations,  and  ditches,  and  introduced  an 
eminent  farmer  from  another  district.  John,  Earl  of 
London,  also  began  extensive  improvements  about 
this  time,  and  raised  field  turnips,  cabbages,  and  car- 
• • " 

22  See  Buckle's  Hist,  of  Civilization  in  Eng.,  vol.  2,  chap.  5. 
»  Enc.  Brit,  ii,  254.  «  Enc.  Brit,  ii,  262. 


134  IMPROVEMENTS. 

rots  as  early  as  1756. 25  But  the  most  fruitful  stim- 
ulus for  improvement  were  the  Acts  of  Parliament 
between  the  years  1750  and  1760,  for  collecting  tolls 
and  making  roads.26  It  is  not  easy  to  estimate  the 
benefit  which  agriculture  has  derived  from  good 
roads,  and  the  want  of  communication  was  one  of  the 
causes  of  the  slow  progress  of  the  art  in  former 
times. 

About  this  time  the  Earl  of  Eglinton  established  a 
Farmers'  Society,  and  presided  over  it  himself  for  a 
number  of  years.27  The  gradual  advance  in  price 
and  produce,  the  consequence  of  increase  of  popula- 
tion and  manufactures,  giving  a  powerful  impulse  to 
rural  industry,  rendered  possible  the  changes  in  the 
system  of  leases  and  the  restrictions  on  cultivation 
and  rotation.  The  Fairlie  rotation,  introduced  by 
the  Earl  of  Eglinton,  was  pursued  by  William  Fairlie, 
after  this  nobleman's  death,  not  only  upon  the  Earl's 
Extensive  domain,  but  also  on  a  considerable  property 
of  his  own.28  Every  farm  as  it  came  out  of  lease 
was  enclosed,  and  divided  by  sufficient  fences  into 
three  or  more  parts,  and  was  allowed  to  remain  in 
grass  till  it  recovered  from  the  exhausted  course  of 
evil  management  already  stated.  The  land  was 
limed,  convenient  houses  and  offices  were  builded,  and 
a  lease  granted,  usually  for  eighteen  years,  under  cov- 
enant not  to  plough  more  than  one  third  of  the  farm  in 
any  one  year,  nor  to  plough  the  same  land  more  than 
three  successive  years.  With  the  third  crop,  the  land 

25  Aiton,  op.  cit.  p.  80.       27  Alton,  op.  cit.  p.  678. 

20  Enc.  Brit,  ii,  262.  ™  Farmers'  Mag.  1804,  p.  783.    Alton,  o/>.  cit.  p.  81. 


IMPROVEMENTS.  135 

was  laid  down  to  grass.  The  fodder  was  stipulated 
to  be  consumed  upon  the  farm,  and  all  the  dung  to  be 
spread  upon  it.29  Other  proprietors  followed  in  these 
courses,  and  the  increased  rents  which  such  measures 
demanded  had  the  tendency  to  drive  out  the  shiftless 
farmers  and  replace  them  by  men  of  energy  and 
force.  It  is  obvious,  as  Aiton  observes,  that  many 
of  those  who  pay  the  highest  rent  realize  the  largest 
profits.  This  proceeds  from  the  increased  industry  to 
which  they  are  roused,  by  knowing  that  they  have  a 
higher  rent  to  raise.  And  many  of  those  whose  rents 
are  extremely  moderate,  as  well  as  some  of  the  small 
proprietors  who  pay  no  rent  whatever,  have  by  their 
indolence  been  reduced  to  poverty.  Some  proprietors 
within  his  knowledge,  having  gone  through  bank- 
ruptcy and  sold  their  land,  occupying  it  as  tenants  at 
high  rents,  have  gained  by  industry  as  tenants  double 
the  sum  which  they  had  obtained  as  the  price  of  their 
own  property. 

In  1786  the  Kilmaruock  farmers  established  their 
Society,  and  a  few  years  after  others  were  formed 
at  Maybole,  Galston,  Newmills,  and  other  places.30 
From  1784  to  1795  the  improvements  advanced  with 
steady  steps.  From  1795  to  1814  the  prices  of 
produce  steadily  increased  under  the  influence  of  the 
Napoleonic  wars.  The  date  of  1784  is  that  of  the 
origin  of  the  Highland  Society,  whose  prominent 
objects  were  then  stated  to  be  to  facilitate  communi- 
cation and  advance  agriculture  ;  and  their  list  for  the 

29  Aiton,  op.  cit.  p.  85. 

30  Alton,  op.  cit.  p.  680. 


136  CHANGES. 

year  1789  oflers  premiums  for  essays  on  the  manage- 
ment of  cattle-farms  and  the  dairy,  breeding  stock, 
etc.,  for  the  execution  of  improvements,  and  the 
raising  of  crops."31 

It  was,  therefore,  the  extension  of  the  activity  of 
thought  following  the  political  measures  of  this  time, 
and  introduced  into  the  common  life  of  Ayrshire, 
which  rendered  possible  these  sudden  changes.  It 
is  seldom  that  human  agency  has  effected  so  much  in 
the  environment  of  a  country,  as  took  place  with 
such  remarkable  activity  in  Scotland :  which  changed 
a  waste  into  a  garden ;  which  furnished  such  con- 
trasts between  what  might  have  been  seen  by  an 
individual  in  the  course  of  an  ordinary  life-time. 
Although  our  accounts  of  the  cattle  of  this  district  are 
few,  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  the  appearance 
and  properties  of  the  cattle  and  the  dairy  shared  in 
these  contrasts,  and  the  changes  which  were  possible 
in  the  tenancy  of  the  land,  were  possible  in  a  breed ; 
and  the  changes  which  actually  took  place  in  the  one, 
must  have  produced  a  change  in  the  other. 

81  Prize  Essays,  High.  Soc.  vol.  1. 


AYRSHIRE  CATTLE :  DOCUMENTARY  HISTORY 
OF  THEIR  ORIGIN. 


BREEDS  of  cattle  attain  their  excellences  and  their 
prominence  by  degrees,  and  their  early  history  is 
difficult  to  be  traced,  as  each  addition  to  their  use- 
fulness has  either  been  unrecognized,  or  has  seemed 
at  the  time  too  insignificant  to  record. 

The  history  of  the  Ayrshire  breed  of  cattle  is 
shrouded  in  the  past.  But  few  efforts  have  been 
made  to  lift  the  veil,  and  the  scanty  records  that 
we  have,  seem  little  better  than  personal  surmise 
or  unfounded  assertion.  Everything  beyond  what 
well-attested  accounts  reach  is  obscure,  and  the  more 
so  here,  as  few  writers  have  considered  the  history  of 
agriculture  in  its  details,  or  the  occurrence  of  a  well- 
defined  or  growing  breed,  worthy  the  pen  of  the 
historian. 

Of  one  fact  we  are  certain.  About  the  close  of  the 
last  and  beginning  of  the  present  century,  our  atten- 
tion is  called  to  a  breed  of  dairy  cows  established  in 
the  County  of  Ayrshire,  and  already  having  a  local 
celebrity  for  the  quantity  and  profitableness  of  their 
yield  of  milk.  Their  origin  was  probably  influenced 
by  the  general  revival  of  agriculture  which  took  place 

7* 


138  OBSCURITY    OF   BEGINNINGS. 

in  the  eighteenth  century.1  It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the 
'human  mind  to  desire  to  fix  a  definite  origin  for  a 
race  or  a  man  in  whom  there  is  a  strong  interest. 
The  early  Greeks  recognized  the  obscurity  of  begin- 
nings, and  accordingly  derived  the  origin  of  their 
heroes  from  a  divine  progenitor.  In  a  like  manner 
writers  on  cattle  have  attempted  to  derive  the  origin 
of  their  breeds,  from  imported  animals  or  obscure 
crosses.  They  have  attempted  to  use  the  divinity  of 
a  recognized  breed  in  support  of  the  breed,  which 
they  fear  will  seem  to  their  readers  comparatively 
recent.  The  literature  of  the  Ayrshire  breed  abounds 
with  this  error. 

Aiton,  our  principal  and  almost  only  authority  on 
the  origin  of  this  breed,  understands  that  the  Earl  of 
Marchmont,  about  1750,  purchased  from  the  Bishop 
of  Durham  and  carried  to  his  seat  in  Berwickshire, 
several  cows  and  a  bull  of  the  Tees  water  or  other 
English  breed,  of  a  brown  and  white  color,  and  that 
some  of  this  breed  were  carried  to  Sombeg,  in  Kyle, 
and  crossed  with  many  cows  about  Cessnock  and 
Sundrum.2  John  Dunlop,  of  Dimlop,  is  also  said  to 
have  introduced  cows  of  a  large  size  from  a  distance, 
probably  of  the  Dutch,  Teeswater,  or  Lincoln  breed.2 
In  a  later  writing,  Aiton,  laboring  under  a  seeming 
necessity  of  giving  a  more  definite  origin  to  the 
breed,  writes  that  about  1770,  or  a  little  earlier,  bulls 
and  cows  of  the  Teeswater  or  Short-horned  breed  are 
"said  to  have  been  introduced  into  Ayrshire  by  several 

1  Burton's  Scotland,  ii,  393. 

2  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  424. 


ALDERNEY    CROSSES.  139 

proprietors,  and  it  is  from  them  and  their  crosses 
with  the  native  stock,  that  the  present  dairy  breed 
has  been  formed."3  When  writing  in  1811,  however, 
he  says  that  the  Ayrshire  dairy  breed  is  "  in  a  great 
measure  the  native  indigenous  breed  of  the  County  of 
Ayr,  improved  in  their  size,  shapes,  and  qualities, 
chiefly  by  judicious  selection,  cross  coupling,  feed- 
ing, and  treatment,  for  a  long  series  of  time,  and 
with  much  judgment  and  attention ;"  4  and  this  ap- 
pears from  the  context  a  more  correct  expression  of 
his  judgment,  and  the  fact,  than  the  other. 

When  we  pass  to  general  statements  of  their  or- 
igin, we  find  the  author  of  the  "Complete  Grazier" 
asserting  them  a  cross  of  the  Alderney  cows  with 
Fifeshire  bulls,  under  the  name  of  Dunlop  breed.5 
Ro.  Forsyth,  however,  writing  in  1805,  speaks  of  the 
Dunlop  breed  as  having  been  established  in  the  parish 
of  that  name  for  more  than  a  century.6  Quayle,  who 
wrote  the  "Agricultural  Survey  of  Jersey,"  states  that 
the  Ayrshire  breed  was  a  cross  between  the  Short-horn 
and  the  Alderney,7  and  Col.  LeCouteur,  of  the  Island 
of  Jersey,  writes7  that  Field-Marshal  Conway,  the 
Governor  of  Jersey,  and  Lieutenant-General  Andrew 
Gordon,  who  succeeded  him,  nearly  half  a  century 
back,  both  sent  some  of  the  best  cattle  to  England 
and  Scotland.  Ro.  Forsyth,  again,  that  elegant  and 
apparently  trustworthy  writer,  says  8  that  the  Earl  of 
Fife,  and  General  Grant,  of  Banffshire,  have  spared 


s  Sinclair's  Scotland,  1814,  iii,  43.  «  Complete  Grazier,  3d  ed.  p.  vii. 

*  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  422.  6  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439. 

7  Quoted  in  Jour.  R   A.  S.  of  Eng.  1844,  p.  47. 

8  Beauties  of  Scotland,  iv,  456. 


140  BLACK   CATTLE. 

no  expense  in  introducing  from  time  to  time  the  most 
valuable  breed  of  bulls  and  cows  from  England  and 

o 

Germany.  As  the  Duke  of  Gordon  had  his  family 
seat  in  this  shire,  and  as  the  dates  of  the  two  state- 
ments agree,  it  is  possible  that  they  refer  to  the  same 
event.  John  Orr,  Esq. ,  of  Barrowfield,  brought  from 
Glasgow,  or  some  part  of  the  East  County,  to  Grou- 
gar,  about  1769,  several  very  fine  cows,9  which  fact 
would  seem  to  show  an  occasional  movement  of 
improved  stock  from  distant  districts. 

The  cattle  of  this  district,  at  the  time  we  have  our 
first  accounts,  were  black  and  white.  Indeed,  so 
common  was  this  color  that  Cully  remarks,  that  in 
all  the  accounts  of  cattle  which  he  had  seen  in  deeds 
or  statutes,  they  are  called  black  cattle.  Black  or 
brown  with  white  faces,  and  white  streaks  along  their 
backs,  were  the  prevailing  colors  in  Ayrshire  in  the 
earlier  portions  of  the  eighteenth  century.10  Aiton 
describes  them  previous  to  1750,  as  being  generally 
black,  with  some  white  on  their  face,  belly,  neck, 
back,  or  tail,  and  in  1811  as  mostly  of  a  dark  color, 
or  black,  with  the  exception  of  the  improved  dairy 
breed.11  Again  he  speaks  of  them,  from  his  own 
recollection,  as  black,  with  white  on  the  face,  the 
back,  and  the  flanks,  and  few  of  the  cows  yielding 
more  than  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  gallons  of  milk 
in  the  day  at  the  height  of  the  season.12  Still  later 
in  his  writings  he  states  that  about  1770,  they  were 
of  small  size,  with  high-standing,  crooked  horns, 

9  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  424.  "  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  425. 

lu  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439,  12  Quoted  in  Low's  Animals,  p.  342. 


DUNLOP   BREED.  141 

narrow  on  the  back,  and  flat  on  the  ribs,  and  mostly 
of  a  black  color,  with  white  spots  on  their  faces  and 
other  parts.13  These  descriptions  show  an  affinity 
with  the  Highland  breed. 

The  first  record  of  improved  cattle  that  we  are  able 
to  find  goes  back  to  about  the  year  1700.  Ro.  For- 
syth,  in  1805,  states  that  for  the  purpose  of  prepar- 
ing cheese  in  Cunningham,  a  breed  of  cattle  for  more 
than  a  century  had  been  established,  remarkable  for 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  their  milk  in  proportion 
to  their  size.  These  had  long  been  denominated  the 
Dunlop  breed,  either  from  the  lands  of  the  ancient 
family  of  that  name,  or  from  the  name  of  the  parish 
where  the  breed  was  first  brought  to  perfection. 
Our  only  other  reference  to  this  breed  by  name  is  in 
the  "  Complete  Grazier,"  an  anonymous  work,  pub- 
lished about  1300,  where  it  is  stated  that  the  Dunlop 
breed,  is  a  cross  from  Alderney  cows  with  Fifeshire 
bulls,  and  are  described  as  small  in  size,  of  a  pied  or 
sandy  red  color,  and  with  small  horns  awkwardly 
set  on.14 

In  1778  and  1780  the  color  of  red  and  white  be- 
came fashionable  ;15  and  between  1785  and  1805  the 
brown  and  white  mottled  cattle  became  so  generally 
preferred,  as  to  bring  a  larger  price  than  others  of 
equal  size  and  shape,  if  differently  marked  ;16  and 
Aiton  speaks  of  the  red  and  white  being  common  in 
1810.15 

Color  is  affected  much  by  varied  conditions ;  and 

is  Sinclair's  Scotland,  1814,  iii,  43.  «  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  p.  424. 

"  Complete  Grazier,  3d  ed.  p.  7.  "  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439. 


142  VARYING    COLOR-MARKINGS. 

oftentimes  a  change  in  environment,  although  almost 
inexpressibly  small,  as  illustrated  on  the  cattle-farms 
of  the  Pampas,17  will  cause  the  self  color  of  a  wild 
or  semi-wild  breed  to  break ;  and  when  the  varied 
conditions  accompanying  agricultural  improvement 
reached  the  cattle  of  Ayrshire,  we  find  by  our  record 
a  greater  change  in  the  colors  than  had  existed  under 
the  less  varied  circumstances  of  agricultural  stagna- 
tion. 

As  the  spirit  of  travel  and  improvement  reached 
the  upper  class  of  inhabitants,  we  find  the  merits  of 
foreign  breeds  recognized,  and  an  introduction  of 
other  breeds,  to  a  suificient  extent,  at  least,  to  vary 
the  color-marks  of  the  cattle ;  and  those  colors  which 
became  fashionable,  and  thus  sought  after  with  greater 
avidity,  would  naturally  become  the  most  general. 
We  thus  find  at  the  present  day  the  red  and  white 
preponderating  over  the  other  colors,  and  the  blacks 
and  whites  far  less  common  than  in  the  past. 

Ho.  Forsyth,  not  realizing  the  quick  changes  pro- 
duced by  the  directing  of  general  attention  to  certain 
points,  as  profitable  or  fashionable,  remarks  upon  the 
rapidity  of  the  diffusion  of  the  improved  breed,  as  a 
singular  circumstance  in  the  history  of  breeding,  and 
speaks  of  the  mottled  breed  as  of  different  origin 
from  the  common  stock.18  He  describes  this  variety 
in  1805  as  being  short  in  the  leg,  with  fine-shaped 
head  and  neck,  and  small  and  tapering  horns,  their 
body  deep  but  not  so  long,  nor  so  full  and  ample  in 


17  Azara,  Quad,  of  Paraguay. 
«  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  438. 


ORIGIN.  143 

the  carcass  and  hind-quarters,  as  some  other  kinds.19 
This  description  has  a  bearing  on  the  origin  of  this 
breed,  as  it  shows  that  at  this  date  no  change  had 
been  produced  which  could  not  be  accounted  for  by 
selection  and  treatment. 

w  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439. 


ORIGIN  OF  AYRSHIRE  CATTLE. 


WE  have  seen  that  cattle  abounded  in  Scotland 
before  the  historical  epoch ;  and  throughout  the 
earlier  centuries,  the  pasturage  of  herds  and  the  man- 
ufacture of  cheese  are  recorded  fragmentarily  and 
concisely,  in  the  charters  and  excerpts  of  the  monks 
and  earlier  historians.  We  have  it  stated  by  a  com^ 
petent  writer  that  a  breed  existed  in  Dunlop,  a 
parish  of  Cunningham,  as  early  as  the  year  1700, 
which  was  noted  for  quantity  of  milk  in  proportion 
to  size ;  and  the  same  writer  gives  it  as  a  veritable 
fact  that  a  certain  Barbara  Gilmour,  fleeing  the  county 
to  escape  the  barbarities  accompanying  the  religious 
persecutions,  under  the  last  princes  of  the  house  of 
Stuart,  introduced  upon  her  return  from  Ireland  the 
manufacture  of  cheese,  which  since  that  period  has 
been  the  great  business  of  that  neighborhood.  He 
proceeds,  "  Sensible  that  their  situation  was  more 
favorable  for  this  than  for  any  other  purpose,  the 
people  bestowed  upon  it  the  greatest  care  and  turned 
it  to  the  best  advantage."1  In  this  sentence  we  have 
the  key  to  the  origin  of  the  improved  breed. 

In  the  region  which  included  this  county  we  have 
records  of  the  earliest  attempts  at  civilization  ;  and  in 

1  Ro.  Forsyth,  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  441. 


DIFFERENTIATION.  145 

the  differentiation  brought  about  by  its  consequences, 
we  find  the  cattle  lacking  an  uniformity  of  color,  yet 
in  many  respects  resembling  the  breed  which  for- 
merly inhabited  the  wilds,  and  which  now,  degen- 
erate, inhabits  the  parks  of  certain  nobles.  These 
cattle  differ  from  the  wild  herds  in  color,  but  this,  it  is 
shown,  is  hardly  an  important  character,  as  the  wild 
cattle  display  a  strong  tendency  to  vary  among  them- 
selves. Moreover,  the  improved  breed  occasionally 
sport  into  white  with  red  ears,  resembling  thus  the 
forest  breed.2  The  breeds  of  the  county  have  not 
the  heavy  mane,  which  history  and  tradition  have 
ascribed  to  the  forest  animal ;  yet  this  animal  has 
lost  it  wholly  or  in  part. 

As  ideas  of  agricultural  improvement  reached  these 
regions,  there  is  evidence  of  increased  interest  being 
taken  in  the  breeds ;  the  more  obvious  ^feature  of 
color  is  taken  in  hand,  and  brown  and  white  colors 
are  preferred,  and  the  result  is  a  remarkably  rapid 
diffusion  of  these  colors  throughout  the  district  dur- 
ing the  years  intervening  between  1785  and  1805, 
the  era  of  the  Agricultural  Society,  and  the  certain 
identification  of  the  improved  breed.  The  more 
spirited  of  the  agricultural  improvers,  attracted  by 
the  fame  of  foreign  breeds,  introduce  now  and  then 


2  U.  8.  Pat.  Off  Report,  Ag.  1851,  p.  91,  note. 

In  October,  1872,  a  white  heifer-calf,  with  ears  tipped  with  red,  was  dropped, 
from  Ayrshire  parents,  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College.  In  October, 
1874,  we  saw  in  the  farm-yard  of  Mr.  Tilton,  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  two  cows, 
perfectly  white,  save  the  inside  of  the  ears,  which  were  brown-red  two  thirds 
down  from  the  tip  These  animals  were  the  result  <>f  a  cross,  an  (grade?)  Al- 
derney  bull  and  grade  Ayrshire  cow,  —  a  good  illustration  of  reversion  brought 
about  through  crossing.  In  appearance  these  animals  resembled  Landseer's  pic- 
ture of  the  White  Forest  Breed,  —  probably  the  only  two  white  animals  on  the 
island. 


146  SELECTION. 

such  animals,  and  rear  these,  or  cross  with  the  native 
stock,  and  during  this  whole  time  a  process  of  selec- 
tion for  uses  is  going  on  by  all  alike, — the  cow 
giving  tne  most  milk  being  retained,  while  the  poorer 
milker  finds  her  place  in  the  shambles.  The  progeny 
of  the  largest  milking  animal  is  reared,  in  preference 
to  others  whose  ancestors  are  not  so  well,  or  unfavor- 
ably, known  for  this  quality.  The  fashion  and  the 
natural  eagerness  to  secure  those  colors  which  are 
attractive,  also  come  into  play ;  while  the  improved 
system  of  farming,  the  enclosing  of  lands,  the  winter 
protection,  and  other  adjuncts  of  improved  agricul- 
ture, aided  in  bringing  the  breed  to  a  larger  size  and 
greater  excellence. 

It  is  possible  that  the  Guernsey  breed  may  have 
transmitted  some  of  her  quality  to  the  present  Ayr- 
shire, as  is  suggested  by  the  sandy  red  and  pied 
Dunlop  ;  but  if  so,  it  is  scarcely  ever  shown  at  pres- 
ent in  color  of  skin  or  hair.  Similarity  of  function 
can  produce  a  certain  similarity  in  form ;  and  what- 
ever resemblance  may  exist  between  the  Alderney 
and  the  Ayrshire  can  well  be  referred  to  this  law. 
We  find  a  correlation  between  the  external  parts  of 
a  cow  and  her  physiological  functions  ;  and  two  sep- 
arate peoples,  seeking  in  a  breed  dairy  qualities, 
would  naturally  and  unavoidably  obtain  certain  shapes 
in  common,  from  whatever  breed  they  may  have  ori- 
ginally started.  It  is  in  the  point  where  differentia- 
tion occurs  that  we  would  look  for  divergence,  and 
we  see  it  in  the  udder :  the  one  breed  designed  for 
butter  alone,  the  shape  of  the  udder  is  neglected  in 


CROSSING.  147 

the  breeding,  and  we  see  the  pointed,  egg-shaped, 
and  goat  udder  almost  universal ;  the  other  breed 
designed  for  milk,  and  the  udder  is  admired  for  its 
•apacity ;  and  we  therefore  find  it  broad,  more  level 
on  its  sole,  and  extending  far  forward  and  back. 

It  is  possible,  even  probable,  that  Short-horn 
crosses  may  have  occurred ;  for  it  would  be  strange 
that  a  breed  so  well  and  favorably  known  could  exist 
so  near  the  region  of  Ayrshire,  without  attracting  the 
attention  of  wealthy  gentlemen,  who  were  desirous 
and  eager  to  advance  the  capabilities  of  their  heri- 
tage. 

The  Holderness,  said  to  have  been  introduced  into 
the  north  of  England  and  south  of  Scotland,3  also 
may  have  been  used  in  modifying  the  breed ;  and  it 
is  highly  probable  that  the  indistinct  black  spots 
which  occasionally  show  through  the  white  hair  of 
the  Ayrshires,  may  be  accounted  for  under  the 
laws  of  reversion.  Where  so  little  is  known  with 
certainty  of  the  origin  of  a  breed,  and  where  recorded 
instances  of  the  presence  of  other  breeds  are  given, 
the  probabilities  of  a  mixture  become  almost  certain- 
ties. The  presence  of  cattle  from  the  Irish  coast,  in 
the  adjacent  island  of  Arran,  and  the  introduction 
of  these  same  cattle  into  Galloway,4  would  seem  to 
afford  a  reasonable  presumption  of  crosses  having 
occurred  with  these  animals  in  the  region  of  Ayr- 
shire. It  is  possible  that  the  orange  rim  to  the  eye, 
occasionally  met  with  among  the  Ayrshires,  is  de- 
rived from  a  distant  Kerry  ancestry. 

5  Low's  Animals,  p.  380.  4  Youatt  on  Cattle,  p.  75. 


148  ORIGIN. 

The  Ayrshire  breed  is  undoubtedly  the  descend 
ants  of  the  original  wild  breed,  modified  by  civiliza- 
tion, and  more  particularly  by  selection ;  and  the 
selection  has  certainly  been  aided  by  the  variations 
produced  by  crossing  with  other  and  distinct  breeds. 
Improvement,  as  thus  begun,  was  probably  at  first 
local,  then  gradually  extended,  until  the  enclosure  of 
the  fields,  and  the  demand  for  certain  produce,  in- 
creased the  number  of  the  areas  of  local  betterment. 
These  agencies,  acting  for  a  long  time,  but  more  par- 
ticularly within  the  period  comprised  in  the  last  of 
the  eighteenth  and  first  of  the  nineteenth  centuries, 
resulted  in  an  animal  of  varied  markings,  but  distinct 
quality;  and  in  1810  we  can  claim  the  existence  of 
an  improved  race,  of  remarkable  dairy  capacities,  so 
well  bred  in  as  to  be  permanent  for  the  breed. 

The  origin  of  the  Ayrshire  breed  is,  in  a  word, 
adaptation.  The  united  efforts  of  the  spirit  of  im- 
provement, and  the  influence  of  locality,  acting  on 
such  materials  as  were  at  hand,  and  guided  by  an 
unconscious  selection,  acted  on  by  a  general  intelli- 
gence, produced  an  animal  which  is  a  determinate 
product,  of  an  age  characterized  by  a  special  activity 
in  promoting  progress.  The  same  agencies  which 
evolved  the  steam-engine  into  usefulness  had  a  part 
in  evolving  the  improved  Ayrshire  cow. 


PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT  SINCE  1805. 


THE  Ayrshire  cow  of  1805,  although  possessing 
some  fineness  of  shape,  and  credited  with  a  not  un- 
common yield  of  from  24  to  34  quarts  of  milk  daily, 
and  exceptionally  as  giving  as  much  as  40  quarts, 
yet  appears  to  have  been  deficient  in  width  and 
depth  of  carcass  behind,  and  no  mention  is  made 
of  the  shape  either  possessed  by,  or  desired  in,  the 
udder.  This  breed,  however,  was  very  generally 
diffused  over  Cunningham,1  and  very  soon  found  its 
way  into  other  counties  of  Scotland.2 

In  1811,  as  we  judge  from  the  description  and 
figure  given  by  Aiton,2  the  shape  of  the  carcass  had 
somewhat  improved,  and  there  seems  to  have  been 
gained  a  lightness  forward.  At  the  .same  time  our 
attention  is  called  to  the  shape  of  the  udder,  which 
is  described  as  broad  and  square,  stretching  forward, 
neither  low-hung  nor  loose.  The  same  stress  is  laid 
on  the  perfection  of  udder  in  the  description  given 
by  William  Harley,  in  1829, 3  and  he  had  cows  which 
not  unfrequently  gave  from  25  to  30  quarts  a  day, 
and  once  even  attained  40  quarts. 

The  great  breadth  and  depth  of  the  loins  appears 

1  Ro.  Forsyth,  Beauties  of  Scotland,  ii,  439. 

3  Survey  of  Ayrshire,  426.  «  Harleian  Dairy  System  p.  106. 


150         PROGRESS  OF  IMPROVEMENT. 

to  have  been  gained  in  1845,4  and  now,  also,  we  first 
find  mention  of  the  flatness  of  thigh,  at  the  inner  side 
technically  called  the  twist.  At  this  time,  the  droop- 
ing of  the  haunch  towards  the  rump  was  common. 
This  breed  had  now  become  the  prevailing  stock  in 
Renfrew,  Dumbarton,  Stirling,  and  Lanark,  and  had 
been  carried  to  many  other  more  distant  localities. 
In  1853  5  we  have  for  the  first  time  a  recognized 

o 

standard  for  the  breeder,  the  Scale  of  Points  of  the 
Ayrshire  Agricultural  Association.  Particular  stress 
is  placed  on  the  wedge-form  body,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  rear  half  of  the  body  where  the  concen- 
tration of  function  takes  place.  The  shapes  of  the 
milk-vessel  and  its  appendages  receive  greater  atten- 
tion, and  there  is  demanded  an  increased  fineness  of 
points. 

In  1866  Archibald  Sturrock,  in  a  prize  essay  on 
Ayrshire  County,  writes  that  "  a  capacious  and  well- 
set  udder  is  certainly  the  chief  point  of  excellence."  6 

In  1868  the  chief  point  of  merit  of  Ayrshire  cattle 
is  said  to  be  "  a  capacious  and  well-set  udder,  and 
these  are  the  principal  objects  aimed  at,  although  a 
straight  back,  with  a  sweet  head  and  branching 
horns,  are  received  with  favor  in  a  show-yard."7 

In  1871  a  writer  in  the  "Farmer's  Magazine,"  in 
describing  the  Ayrshire  cow,  proceeds  :  et  The  udder 
well  set  on.  For  a  prize-taker  this  point  must  be 
faultless,  as  no  beauty  of  form  or  regularity  of  other 


4  Low's  Animals,  p.  343. 

5  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1866-7,  p.  106. 

6  Pr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1866-7,  p.  77. 

7  H.  N.  Eraser,  Pr.  Essays  li.  Soc.  1858-9,  p. 331. 


UDDER.  151 

points  will  make  up  for  deficiency  in  the  form  or  size 
of  the  milk-vessel.  If  this  is  in  perfection,  other  and 
minor  points  may  be  overlooked."  8 

The  most  noteworthy  fact  in  the  above  series  is  the 
stress  laid  upon  the  form  of  the  udder,  and  this  has 
been  caused  by  the  educating  influence  of  the  many 
farmers'  clubs,  with  which  the  district  has  been 
sprinkled.  This  influence  was  early  manifested,  and 
competition  must  have  had  a  great  influence,  in 
changing  the  form  of  this  useful  portion  of  our  ani- 
mal, into  a  vessel  not  alone  for  use,  but  for  beauty. 

In  1836,  a  large  premium  was  offered  for  the 
competition  of  this  breed,  by  the  Highland  and 
Agricultural  Society,  which  long  before  had  offered 
encouragement  to  breeding  stock  ;  and  the  local  so- 
cieties, some  of  long  antiquity,  had  so  increased,  that 
ill  1866  each  parish  had  its  local  society,  in  addition 
to  "estate  clubs,"9  while  the  county  society  supple- 
mented the  efforts  of  the  smaller  unions  by  embracing 
the  whole  area  and  giving  more  weighty  encourage- 
ment. 

The  effect  of  this  interest  in  the  breed,  was  to  incite 
the  farmers  to  stronger  efforts  towards  improvement. 
The  leading  type  of  the  breed  at  one  time,  is  said  by 
Sandford  Howard  to  be  of  the  Kyloe  or  Highland 
cross,  and  he  vouches  for  the  facts  obtained  by  him- 
self, substantially  as  follows  :  "Theophilus  Parton, 
of  Swinly  Farm,  near  Dairy,  Ayrshire,  about  forty- 
five  years  ago  [1818]  took  great  pains  to  establish  a 

s  Quoted  inXat.  Live  Rtook  Journal  of  Chicago,  Feb.  1871,  p.  183. 
»  Fr.  Essays  H.  Soc.  1865-7,  p.  75. 


152  SWINLY   TYPE. 

herd  of  what  were  deemed  the  best  Ayrshire  cattle, 
into  which  he  infused  a  strain  of  the  West  Highland 
blood,  the  particular  degree  of  which  is  not  publicly 
or  generally  known.  The  Swinly  stock  differs  from 
the  older  Ayrshire  in  having  a  shorter  head,  with 
more  breadth  across  the  eyes,  more  upright  and 
spreading  horns,  more  hair,  and  that  of  a  more 
mossy  character,  and  generally  better  constitutions. 
They  are  also  somewhat  smaller-boned  than  the  old 
stock,  though  from  their  superior  symmetry  and 
greater  tendency  to  fatten  they  are  fully  equal  to  the 
former  in  weight  of  carcass  when  slaughtered." 10 

.  In  1847  the  St.  Quivox  Club  attempted  to  intro- 
duce the  Short-horn  breed  more  generally  among 
breeders,  but  it  failed  to  produce  any  effect,  as  we 
are  told  by  Sturrock,  as  now  "  Short-horn  crosses  are 
more  difficult  to  procure  than  formerly." n  Pro- 
fessor Norton,  of  Yale  College,  speaks  of  seeing, 
during  a  visit  to  Scotland  in  1848,  Short -horn  bulls 
on  every  large  farm,  but  leaves  the  inference  that 
the  crosses  were  designed  for  beef.12 

Mr.  Wilson,  in  writing  of  the  agriculture  of  Lan- 
arkshire, states  that  this  cross,  although  it  diminishes 
the  milk,  yet  adds  increased  value  for  the  shambles.13 
These  statements,  taken  together,  seem  to  indicate 
that  Short-horn  crosses  were  used  only  when  grazing 
was  united  with  dairy  farming. 

In  conversing  with  the  breeding  farmers  of  Ayr- 
shire  in  1869,  we  were  unable  to  find  any  Short-horn 

10  U.  S.  Dept.  Ag.  Report,  18fi3,  p.  195.    12  Farmers'  Lib  iii,  306. 

"  IT.  Essays  H.  Soc.  186tJ-7,  p.  37.  13  Prize  Essays  U.  doc.  1336-Z,  p.  355. 


•       CROSSING.  J  53 

crosses,  although  some  Short-horn  bulls  were  found 
on  farms  uniting  the  business  of  the  grazier  with  that 
of  the  breeder.  The  black  color  was  referred  by 
some  to  the  influence  of  the  Highland  race.  It  would 
seem  as  if  parentage  would  occasionally  crop  out  in 
the  colors  ;  and  although  a  red  might  now  and  then 
suggest  a  Devon,  or  a  brindle  or  black  the  Kyloe,  and 
rarely  a  pale  red  the  Alderney,  yet  we  saw  not  a 
single  roan  which  would  indicate  the  Durham.  Of 
the  Jersey  bull  or  cow  we  saw  not  a  trace,  and  our 
inquiries  provoked  the  curiosity  which  indicated  an 
unfamiliarity,  even,  with  the  appearance  of  that 
breed. 

The  Highland  cross  appears  to  have  been  frequently 
used,  especially  by  those  who  desired  handsome  bulls. 
A  Mr.  Home,  in  remarks  before  an  agricultural  club 
in  1867,  states,  from  his  own  observation,  that  a 
famous  prize-taking  bull,  Geordie,  was  popularly 
accounted  to  have  an  eighth  of  West  Highland 
blood.14  This  cross  gives  a  style  to  the  carriage  of 
an  animal,  and  increases  the  tendency  towards  laying 
on  flesh  or  fat. 

Perhaps  the  history  of  the  progress  of  the  Ayrshire 
breed  since  1810  can  be  best  summarized  by  an 
extract  from  a  letter  written  by  a  prominent  and  care- 
ful breeder  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence,  Robt. 
Wilson,  of  1  orehouse,  Kilbarchan  :  — 

"Modern  Ayrshire  cattle  have  been  brought  to 
their  present  condition  by  care  and  attention  on  the 
part  of  breeders,  —  each  selecting  according  to  his 

"  Gard.  Chron.  and  Ag.  Gaz.,  July  27,  1867. 


154  CROSSING. 

fancy,  and  crossing  accordingly.  There  is  no  doubt 
but  the  majority  of  Ayrshire  cattle  have  been  crossed, 
as  distinct  points  of  Highland,  Short-horn,  Devon, 
Hereford,  etc.,  are  easily  discernible,  not  only  in  color 
but  also  in  style.  In  dairy  districts,  however,  the 
pure  breed  is  invariably  attempted  to  be  kept,  and 
crossing,  therefore,  is  more  the  exception  than  the 
rule."  He  adds  that  the  breed  has  not  improved  in 
some  respects  within  his  remembrance,  but  that  "so 
far  as  the  fine  points  are  concerned,  probably  the 
number  of  fine-bred  cattle  is  greater  than  ever  be- 
fore." 


III. 

LOCAL 


IN  preparing  the  list  of  importations  and  importers, 
we  had  fondly  hoped  to  obtain  our  information  at  first 
hand,  from  the  parties  at  interest,  —  the  importers 
themselves.  We  therefore  circulated  very  freely  a 
printed  request  for  this  and  other  information.  We 
received  some  really  valuable  replies,  but  the  largest 
portion  of  our  broadcast  circular  sowing  fell  on  bar- 
ren ground. 

Whatever  errors,  therefore,  are  found  in  the  list, 
may  be  charged  to  the  indifference  of  those  who,  at 
first  thought,  would  be  supposed  to  be  the  most  con- 
cerned in  its  accuracy.  By  presenting  our  author- 
ities in  every  case,  except  where  we  have  had  private 
information,  we  can  avoid  the  charge  of  carelessness, 
and  say  we  hope  to  have  attained  very  considerable 
accuracy. 

In  preparing  a  list  of  animals  that  have  taken  prizes 
at  Scotch  fairs,  our  intention  is  to  show  certain 
animals  which  may  be  considered  as  thoroughbred. 
Although  many  animals  have  been  imported  which 
are  as  truly  thoroughbred  as  some  which  have  re- 
ceived premiums,  yet  the  mere  fact  of  importation 


156  LOCAL. 

cannot  be  a  guarantee  of  authenticity.  Some  true 
Ayrshires  have  been  imported  from  localities  far 
removed  from  their  own  county,  and  some  inferior  or 
uncertain  animals  have  found  their  way  here  under 
the  impulse  of  speculation.  Prize-taking  in  Scotland 
is  one  guarantee  of  authenticity. 

We  shall  have  to  ask  breeders  for  charity  towards 
the  imperfections  of  the  list.  It  results  through  their 
own  negligence. 

The  matter  of  pedigree  must  be  considered  one  of 
the  greatest  importance.  It  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
of  breeding.  It  must  be  sought  for  continually, 
retained  pertinaciously,  and  intensified  yearly,  in 
order  to  achieve  the  greatest  success.  We  therefore 
present  a  few  thoughts  under  this  heading. 


IMPORTERS   AND   IMPORTATIONS. 


As  early  as  1822,  or  thereabout,  we  find  record  of  1822 
the  introduction  to  America  of  this  useful  breed. 
In  that  year  a  bull  and  a  cow  are  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Great  Britain  to  New  York  by  Mr. 
Henry  W.  Hills,  and  sent  to  the  farm  of  Mr.  Heze- 
kiah  Hills,  at  Windsor,  Conn.  The  cow  was  after- 
wards sold  to  Joseph  Morgan,  of  Hartford,  and  the 
bull  to  Elihu  Wolcott,.  of  East  Windsor  Hill.  Two 
of  the  heifers,  called  Flora  Hills  and  Fanny  Hills, 
were  sold  to  Mr.  Henry  Watson,  of  East  Windsor, 
"  which  produced  several  calves  from  his  Short-horn 
bull,  Wye  Comet."  These  calves,  half  Short-horn 
and  half  Ayrshire,  were  small  animals  but  very  fine, 
and  several  of  them  "  were  recorded  as  Short-horns, 
in  the  American  Herd  Book." ] 

According  to  the  "  Turf,  Field,  and  Farm,"  2  the  1828 
Ayrshires  were  first  introduced  into  this  country  in 
1828.     In  1831  we  find  note  of  a  full-blood  Ayrshire 
cow  being   in   the   possession  of  a   Dr.   White,   of  1831 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y. ;  this  cow  was  crossed  with 
a  Durham  bull  about  this  time,  and  then  bred  in, 


1  Samuel  Bartlett,  in  "  Homestead,"  quoted  in  Kept.  Conn.  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture, 1867,  p.  151. 

3  Quoted  in  Nat.  Live  Stock  Journ.,  May,  1871,  p.  303. 


158  IMPORTATIONS. 

with  her  descendants,  for  a  dozen  or  fifteen  years  at 
least.3 

1837  In  1837,  their  merits  at  home  having  become  more 
widely  known,  we  learn  of  two  importations  :  the 
one  of  Mr.  J.  P.  Gushing,  of  Watertown ;  the  other 
by  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Agriculture. 

Mr.  Cushing's  importation  was  made  in  the  spring, 
and  consisted  of  four  cows, — Flora,  Juno,  Venus, 
and  Cora.4  Three  heifers  appear  to  have  been  im- 
ported in  their  dams,5  and  6  and  perhaps  a  bull.5  Some 
dozen  years  later  Mr.  Gushing  presented  one  of  his 
bulls  to  the  Worcester  Co.  Agricultural  Society.7 

During  this  year  arrived  the  first  importation  of 
the  Massachusetts  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Ag- 
riculture, consisting  of  a  bull  and  three  cows,  which 
were  all  in  calf  when  they  arrived.  The  bull  was 
sent  to  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  was  kept 
near  Pittsfield.8  One  of  the  cows  was  placed  in  the 
care  of  Hon.  P.  C.  Brooks,  in  Medford ;  another  in 
the  care  of  Hon.  Daniel  Webster,  at  Marshfield ;  and 
the  third  of  Elias  Phinney,  of  Lexington.  This 
last,  18  years  old,  was  still  living  in  1847. 9 

In  1845  this  Society  made  its  second  importation, 
consisting  of  a  bull,  Prince  Albert,  and  four  cows, 
Flora  McDonald,  Jennie  Deans,  Milly,  and  Charlotte. 
These  animals  were  selected  by  Mr.  Alexander  Brick- 

s  U.  S.  Pat.  Off.  Reports,  1851,  p.  91.    Note. 

*  Farmers' Lib  iii,  304. 

e  Capt.  Randall's  Ms.  Herd  Book. 

e  A.  H.  B.,  B.  53,  702;  C.  6«1,  732. 

7  Ag.  of  Mass.  1853,  311. 

8  U  S.  Dept.  Ag.  Rept.  1863,  p.  197.    Cultivator,  Feb.  1848,  p.  42. 
Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  304. 


IMPORTATIONS.  159 

ett,  of  Lowell,.  who  was  sent  out  for  that  purpose. 
They  were  shipped  about  the  first  of  September,  and 
landed  in  Boston  about  the  first  of  October  in  good 
condition,  and  were  placed  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Phin- 
ney,  in  Lexington.10 

In  1858,  the  Society  again  sent  to  Scotland,  and 
this  time,  through  Mr.  Sanford  Howard,  selected  and 
imported  four  bulls  and  eleven  heifers.11  The  bulls 
appear  to  have  been  Tarn  Sampson,  Troon,  Albert, 
and  Irvine.  Kilniarnock  and  Young  Cardigan  were 
imported  in  their  dams.  The  cows  were  Daisy, 
Gentle,  Harriet,  Lily,  Mavis,  Miss  Anderson,  Miss 
Morris  1st,  Pansy,  Rosa,  Ruth,  and  Star.  Buttercup 
was  imported  in  her  dam.12  These  animals  were 
from  the  herds  of  well-known  breeders  in  Ayrshire. 
In  1869,  while  travelling  through  this  county,  we 
stopped  at  the  farm  of  Mr.  John  Ritchie,  who  remem- 
bered Mr.  Howard  well,  and  stated  that  Mr.  Howard 
was  very  particular  in  his  choice,  and  carried  away 
the  best  he  could  buy. 

In  order  to  disseminate  the  blood  through  the 
State,  the  Society  at  various  times  presented  bulls 
to  the  Hampshire  and  Franklin,  Worcester  County, 
Essex,  Hampden,  Barustable  and  Plymouth  Agricul- 
tural Societies,  and  in  1849  Jennie  Deans  was 
presented  to  the  Middlesex  Society. 

In  1838,  Capt.  George  Randall,  of  New  Bedford, 
commenced  his  series  of  importations  with  Maggie, 


10  Farmers'  Lib.  ii,  123.    Alb.  Cult.  1845,  p.  557,  etc.    1847,  p.  41. 

11  Count.  G-ent.,  Feb.  18,  1869,  p.  140. 

12  A.  H.  B.,  B.  129,  38,  75,  398,  C.  32,40,  83,  129,  138,  155,  167,  187,  195,  199,  424, 
643     Ag.  of  Mass.  1860,  pp.  74,  82.    Ag.  of  Mass.  1853,  p.  301,  etc. 


160  IMPORTATIONS. 

who  was  landed  on  the  20th  day  of  July.  She 
unfortunately  died  the  same  season.  On  the  second 
of  December  arrived  the  bull  Rob  Roy,  about  two 
and  a  half  years  old. 

In  1839,  on  the  27th  of  July,  his  third  importa- 
tion arrived,  consisting  of  the  yearling  bull  Roscoe, 
the  four-year-old  cow  Swinley,  and  the  yearling 
heifer  Daisy.  The  cow  Swinley  dropped  a  heifer 
calf,  Maggie,  March  20,  1840,  which  was  sold  in  1846 
to  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Promotion  of  Agri- 
culture. The  heifer  Daisy  died  in  September,  1811. 

His  fourth  importation  arrived  May  26,  1*41,  con- 
sisting of  the  five-year-old  cow  Crummie,  who 
dropped  a  bull  calf  Wallace,  February  2,  1842,  and 
the  heifer  Daisy.  This  second  Daisy  was  sent  to 
Capt.  Randall  as  a  present  by  Lawrence  Drew,  her 
breeder,  on  hearing  of  the  loss  of  the  former  Daisy. 

In  18  £4,  Capt.  Randall  made  his  fifth  and  last 
importation,  consisting  of  the  cow  Medal,  which  ar- 
rived September  22,  and  in  the  following  April  gave 
birth  to  twins,  Sandy  and  Jeanie. 

Capt.  Randall's  stock  was  mostly  bred  by  Law- 
rence Drew,  a  Scotch  breeder  well  known  for  his 
success.  They  were  probably  of  the  best,  and  the 
records  of  these  and  their  descendants  were  kept 
with  great  apparent  accuracy  and  neatness.13 
1840  In  1840  Capt.  Ezra  Nye,  of  Clinton,  N.  J.,  seems 
to  have  imported  a  cow,  Nan,14  from  the  Duke  of 
Portland's  estate,  Ayrshire. 

18  We  desire  to  express  here  our  thanks  to  Mr.  Haskell,  of  New  Bedford,  for 
being  allowed  to  take  a  copy  of  Capt.  Randall's  herd  book. 

"  A.  H.  B.,  C.  101,  48o,  570.    Also  1st  Kept.  N.  E.  Ag.  Soc.  p.  57. 


IMPORTATIONS.  161 

In  1845,  Capt.  Nye  appears  to  have  made  an  addi- 
tional importation  of  the  bull  Duke,15  and  probably 
the  cows  Marion,  Lily,  and  Beauty  in  calf  with  Scot- 
land.16 One  heifer,  Bessie,  and  four  bulls,  Antarctic, 
Leopard,  Juniper,  and  Pacific,  are  said  to  have  been 
imported  by  him,  but  we  find  no  clew  to  the  date. 
Our  references  are  certainly  misleading  unless  there 
were  other  importations  at  a  later  date  than  these 
given.17 

The  importation  of  Capt.  George  Randall  for  this 
year  will  be  found  noticed  under  date  of  1838. 

In  July,  1841,  Capt.  J.  C  Delano  brought  to  New 
Bedford  a  cow  named  Jennie  Deans,  and  about  three 
years  old.  She  was  probably  purchased  partly  as  a 
speculation,  and  in  part  to  supply  the  ship  with  milk. 
She  was  called  pure,  but  Capt.  Randall,  into  whose 
possession  she  afterwards  came,  had  his  doubts. 

About  this  year  it  is  said  that  some  Ayrshire  cat- 
tle were  imported  by  George  Longley,  of  Maitland, 
Canada. 

In  1842,  Mr.  E.  P.  Prentice,  of  Albany,  N.  Y., 
imported  a  cow,  Ayr  by  name.  She  dropped  a  heifer 
calf  on  the  passage,  which  was  called  Ayr  2d.18 
The  cow  is  figured  in  the  "  Albany  Cultivator,"  of 
July,  1846. 

About  this  time  an  importation  of  animals,  selected 
and  forwarded  by  Allen  J.  Davie,  arrived  in  Balti- 

is  A.  H.  B.,  B.  6,  C.  70, 101,  570. 

ie  A.H.B.,  C.70,  162;  C.685;  C.  252£,  738;  B.  59,  874,  925;  C.  14, 113,  131, 
1.92,  2(8,  1153. 

»  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1,382;  B.  173,  468;  C.  738,  902,  1372,  1443,  1483,  1643;  C.685; 
C«  16*2  j  (J.  553. 

"  Alb.  Cult.  1845,  p.  14;  do.  July,  1846;  do.  Feb.  1848,  p.  41. 


162  IMPORTATIONS. 

more.  These  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Ridgley, 
and  were  sent  to  the  celebrated  Hampton  Estate. 
This  importation  was  probably  kept  with  but  little 
attention  to  preserving  the  breed  intact.19 

For  the  Eandall  importation  of  this  year,  see  the 
notice  under  the  year  1838. 

For  the  notice  of  the  importation  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Society  for  Promotion  of  Agriculture  during 
this  year,  see  under  1837. 

For  Capt.  Nye's  importation  of  this  year,  see 
under  date  of  1840. 

Some  years  previous  to  1847  Dr.  Hoffman  made 
an  importation  into  Maryland.  These  passed,  some 
of  them  at  least,  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  McHenry,  of 
Hartford  County.20  Some  of  this  importation  ap- 
pears to  be  found  in  the  cows  Jenny  Deans  and  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots.21 

1846  In  June  of  1846,  R.  L.  Colt,  Esq.,  of  Paterson, 
N.  J.,  imported  a  bull  and  a  cow  in  the  ship 
"  Europe."  The  bull  Geordie  was  a  descendant  of  a 
famous  bull  of  that  name  in  Scotland,  and  was  him- 
self a  prize-taker.  He  cost  £40  in  Ayr.  The  cow 
Bessy  cost  £19.22 

Samuel  Ward,  Esq.,  then  of  North  Stockbridge, 

afterwards  of  Lenox,  Mass.,  imported   a  bull    and 

heifer  this  year.23     The  bull  Dandy  appears  to  have 

gone  into  the  possession  of  E.  P.  Prentice. 

1848      In  1848,  according  to  a  reference  in  the  Ayrshire 


»  Farmers'  Lib.  iii,  1848,  p.  286.  *>  Ibid. 

"  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1787,  1923. 

*2  Farmers'  Lib.  ii,  385,  where  the  bull  is  figured;  do.  iii,  289,  for  the  cow. 

*s  Alb.  Cult.,  July,  1851. 


IMPORTATIONS.  103 

Herd  Book,  R.  Jardine  imported  a  cow  into  St.  John,  1848 
New  Brunswick,  and  according  to  other  references  in 
1849.     This  cow  was  probably  named  Gowan.24 

In  1849,  an  Ayrshire  farmer  of  the  name  of  R.  1849 
Gray  emigrated  to  New  Brunswick,  bringing  with 
him  his  cattle.  These  seem  to  have  consisted  of  the 
bull,  Jock  the  Laird,  and  four  cows,  Helen,  Peerless, 
Mary,  and  Jenny  Willet.25  The  descendants  of  these 
cattle  occasionally  find  their  .way  across  the  border, 
and  are  referred  to  as  being  imported  from  New 
Brunswick. 

Mr.  James  Brodie,  of  Rural  Hill,  New  York,  has 
been  the  active  agent  in  importing  for  a  number  of 
firms,  among  which  occur  Hungerford,  Brodie  &  Co., 
Hungerford  &  Brodie,  Brodie,  Campbell  &  Co., 
Brodie  &  Campbell,  James  Brodie  &  Son,  Brodie 
Son  &  Converse,  and  Walcott  &  Campbell.  The 
importations  of  Mr.  G.  C.  Bradley  can  also  be  re- 
ferred to  him. 

In  1852  arrived  Kilburn  and  Mary  Gray.26    These  1852 
were  exhibited  at  the  New  York  State  Fair  of  that 
year  by  Mr.  Brodie.     Afterwards  they  came  into  the 
possession  of  Messrs.  Walcott  &  Campbell,  New  York 
Mills,  N.  Y. 

In  1853  were  imported  Ayrshire  Lass  and  White 
Lilly.27  The  latter  was  exhibited  by  Hungerford  & 
Brodie  the  same  year,  but  some  time  afterward  went 
to  New  York  Mills. 


*  A.  H.  B.,  C.  43,  88(>,  881, 1012. 

25  A.  II.  BM  B.  3-2,  234,  C.  90,  94,  102, 103,  139,  241,  327,  667,  1166,  1228,   1516, 
1553,  1554.     Also  MS.  information. 

26  A.  K.  B.,  B.  "224,  C.  592. 
»  A.  H.  B.,  C.  23-5,  811. 


164  IMPORTATIONS. 

In  1854  a  larger  importation,  —  Lady  Ayr,  Red 
Eose,  Challenge,  Cherry  Blossom,  and  Kate.28  The 
two  last  were  in  the  possession  of  Messrs.  Hunger- 
ford  &  Brodie  the  year  of  importation,  but  Lady 
Ayr  and  Red  Rose  shortly  after  went  to  New  York 
Mills,  and  Challenge  has  become  the  ancestral  cow 
of  a  long  line  of  progeny  on  the  farm  of  S.  D.  Hun- 
gerford,  at  Adams,  N.  Y. 

In  1861  arrived  Dr.  Hornbook,  Handsome  Nell. 
Helen  Douglas  in  dam  Lady  Douglas,  and  Tibbie.21' 
In  the  fall  of  1862  these  were  still  owned  by  Brodie, 
Campbell  &  Co.,  but  afterwards  they  all  were  added 
to  the  New  York  Mills  herd.  At  the  same  time  a 
cow  and  a  calf  appear  to  have  been  imported  for  a 
Mr.  Miller. 

In  1864,  Baldy,  John  Gilpin,  and  Tarboltou.30 
John  Gilpin  was  retained  by  Mr.  Brodie,  the  other 
two  went  to  Messrs.  Walcott  &  Campbell. 

In  July,  1870,  arrived  Lady  Clyde  and  Lady  Glas- 
gow ;  the  latter  dropped  a  calf,  Neptune,  on  the 
ocean,  and  the  former  a  bull  calf  after  arrival,  named 
Lord  Clyde.31  These  were  all  for  Messrs.  Walcott 
&  Campbell. 

In  187 1,  in  the  ship  "Eumenides,"  which  left  Glas- 
gow April  6,  1871,  Mr.  Brodie  had  a  large  number. 
Of  these,  John  of  Ayr  and  Peerless  were  for  Mr. 
G.  C.  Bradley,  of  Watertown,  N.  Y. ;  Duke  of  Ham- 


"  Alb.  Cult.,  March,  1863.    A.  H.  B.,  B.  10,  C.  82,  523,  726, 979.    Trans.  N.  Y. 
Ag  Soc.  1854.  898. 

»  Count.  Gent.,  June  13,  1861.    A.  H.  B.,  C.  149,  423,  438,  526,  791. 

so  A.  H.  B.,  B.  90,  222,  372. 

si  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1403,  1417,  B.  684. 


IMPORTATIONS.  1 G5 

ilton,  "Woodville  Chief,  Beulah,  Bessie  Belle,  Ayr- 
shire Lass,  Lady  Ayr,  Lady  Kogers,  Lady  Mary, 
Lady  Houston,  Lady  Fender,  Lady  Kilbirnie,  Kil- 
birnie  Maid,  Ocean  Belle,  and  Kempsey  Maid  were 
retained  by  Mr.  Brodie.  In  this  importation  may 
also  be  included  Kilbirnie  Lass  in  her  dam,  and  pos- 
sibly a  Peerless  imported  in  the  womb.32 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Brodie  has  so  dupli- 
cated the  names  of  animals,  either  imported  or  owned 
by  him,  as  to  render  somewhat  difficult,  in  the  future, 
the  task  of  identifying  pedigrees. 

For  information  concerning  the  importations  of 
Mr.  Brodie,  etc.,  in  1853,  see  under  1852. 

In  1853,  James  Logan,  of  Montreal,  seems  to  have  1853 
imported  the  cow  Buttery  and  the  bull  Baldy.33 

The  Hochelaga  Agricultural  Society  may  also  have 
imported  a  bull  of  the  same  name  about  this  time, 
which  wras  used  in  Mr.  Logan's  herd,  and  perhaps 
the  two  animals  are  identical.34 

In  1857,  Mr.  Logan  imported  the  cow  Stately  in 
calf  with  Sir  Colin,  Greig  in  calf  with  Sonsie,  Jean, 
and  probably  Heather  Belle,  Beauty,  White  Cherry, 
Red  Rose,  and  others.35 

In  the  year  1853  the  Montreal  Agricultural  Society 
imported  the  bull  Rob  Roy.  This  importation  was 
made  through  a  Mr.  Gilmore,  and  the  bull  appears  to 
have  been  sold  to  the  County  of  Leeds  Society,  and 

82  Entry  Cat.  X.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1872  and  1873.  Other  references  for  Mr.  Brodie's 
importations  are  Walcott  &  Campbell's  Catalogue. 

33  A.  H.  B.,  C.  110,  394,  1773,  and  C.  62,  85,  87,  125, 186. 

»*  A.  H.  B.,  C.  773,  773J,  774,  810. 

»5  A  H  B.,  C.  200,  B  67,  354,  385,  C.  469,  463,  561,  724,  764,  289,  510,  949,  1383, 
B.  805,  C.  86,  394^  214,  725. 


166  IMPORTATIONS. 

afterwards  to  George  Morton.  In  1861  owned  by 
Thomas  Anthony  and  exhibited  at  New  York  State 
Fair.36  This  Society  imported  in  all  five  bulls,  of 
which  the  importations  of  1855,  1856,  and  1857  were 
used  in  the  herd  of  Messrs.  Dawes. 

In  this  year,  1853,  we  find  mention  of  the  im- 
portation of  a  cow,  Advice,  by  J.  W.  Duncombe,  of 
Quebec.37 

1854      An  account  of  the  1854  importation  of  Mr.  Brodie 
will  be  found  under  the  date  of  1852. 

William  Watson,  of  Westchester,  N.  Y.,  probably 
made  an  importation  in  1854.  The  cow  Beith,  the 
two-year-olds  Anna  and  Maria,  were  exhibited  at  the 
New  York  State  Agricultural  Fair  of  this  year. 
Julia  was  probably  imported  in  the  womb,  as  was 
perhaps  Margaret.  Oswald  and  Sarah  were  possibly 
of  this  importation.38 

There  seems  to  have  been  another  importation  by 
Mr.  Watson,  in  1858,  of  the  cow  Kate.  Taurus  was 
imported,  if  at  all,  before  1861,  and  the  cow  Emily 
before  1859,  and  perhaps  all  these  may  be  referred 
to  this  year.39 

In  1862  Mr.  Watson  appears  to  have  brought  over 
the  bull  Angus.40 

In  1868  the  bull  Kilbirnie.41 

Mr.  Watson  selected  and  forwarded  the  animals 
which  comprised  the  Sweetser  importation  of  1855. 

»«  A.  H.  B.',  0.  715,  734,  737,  741,  472,  B.  328. 
w  A.H.B.,0.  222. 

38  A.  H.  B.,  C.  61,  76,  851,  1658 ;  722 ;  B.  50,  51,  C.  19,  61,  76,  168,  122,  971 ;  296, 
698,  B.  6-27.  Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1854. 

3»  A.  II.  B.,  0  1424;  329;  775L  1125.  B.  630. 

*<>  A.  H.  B.,  O.  851,  1014,  1168.  1424,  1474,  1544, 1658,  1833. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  B.  662;  C.  1083, 1382. 


IMPOR  T  ATIONS .  167 

In  August,  1855,  Mr.  R.  A.  Alexander,  of  Ken-  1855 
tucky,  is  said  to  have  brought  over  some  Ayrshires, 
in  the  ship  "  Olive  Jordan,"  from  Liverpool  to  Phila- 
delphia.42 

In  September,  1855,  Mr.  Luke  Sweetser,  of  Am- 
herst,  Mass.,  selected  and  imported  through  Mr. 
William  Watson,  of  N.  Y.,  four  cows,  Rose,  Bessie, 
Beauty,  and  Tulip.  Of  these,  Rose  proved  barren  ; 
and  Beauty,  now  twenty  years  old,  is  the  property 
of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 

During  this  same  year,  1855,  Mr.  John  Dods,  of 
Montreal,  imported  the  cow  Ann.  He  seems  to  have 
made  other  importations  as  follows  :  Previous  to 
1859,  Pailey ;  to  1860,  Baldy  and  Bonnie  Scott;  to 
1862,  Jane;  to  1863,  Annie  and  Del,  or  Delavan ; 
to  1864,  Blackie  and  Cherry  1st,  and  previous  to 
1866,  Lord  Eglinton  and  Maggie43 

In  1856,  James  Gibb,  of  Canada,  imported  a  bull,  1856 
Major,  and  a  cow,  Fairy.44 

Mr.  Wm.  Chambers,  of  St.  Laurient,  near  Mon- 
treal,   is    said   to   have  imported   a  cow  in  185 7, 45  1857 
which  perhaps  was  named  Rose.46 

For  particulars  of  Mr.  James  Logan's  importation 
of  this  year,  see  under  date  of  1853. 

For  the  importation  of  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  Promotion  of  Agriculture  of  this  date,  see  under 


«  Count.  Gent.,  Sept.  13,  1855. 

«  A.  II.  B.,  G.230;  C.  1279,1(593;  C.  998,  1279,  1698;  B.  70,  C.  3,  121,  142,  B. 
643;  C.  1279,  1405;  B.  539,  482,  C.  1803,  1881;  B.  879,  C.  1422.  1488;  C.  992, 
1308;  C.  1716;  B.  574,  771. 

**  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1156,  1433, 1439 1.  C.  C.  Abbott's  Sale  Cat.  1870.  J.  L.  Gibb's 
Cat.  1870. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  B   247,  C.  705. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  C.  512,  540,  854. 


168  IMPORTATIONS. 

the  year  1837.     For  that  of  Mr.  Watson,  see  under 
.     date  of  1854. 

1858  In  1858,  Messrs.  Dawes,  of  Lachine,  P.  Q.,  com- 
menced their  series  of  importations  with  the  bull 
Rob  Roy.47 

In  1860  they  imported  a  bull,  Prince,  and  the  cow 
Queen  of  Scots,  in  calf  with  Duchess.48 

In  1868,  the  bull  Samson.49 

In  1869,  the  cows  Picture,  in  calf  with  Lily,  and 
Portrait.50 

In  1870,  the  cows  Empress,  Marchioness,  Miss 
Henry,  and  Miss  Kennedy.  These  all  were  with 
calf,  and  produced  the  heifer  calves  Medora,  Basay, 
a  third  heifer,  and  a  bull.51 

In  1871,  the  bull  Nicholas  and  the  females  Snow- 
drop, Turnlow,  Beauty,  Pride  of  Avon,  Lady  Bird, 
and  Drumbowie.  With  these  were  brought  over  five 
heifer  calves  in  their  dams.52 

In  1858,  Mr.  H.  H.  Peters,  of  Southborough, 
Mass.,  made  his  first  importation.  He  authorized 
Mr.  Sanford  Howard,  who  was  going  to  Scotland,  to 
procure  stock  for  the  Massachusetts  Saciety  for  Pro- 
motion of  Agriculture,  to  purchase  for  him  four  Ayr- 
shire heifers,53  which  are  those  which  were  named 
Jean  Armour,  Miss  Morton,  Miss  Miller,  in  calf  with 
Miller  2d,  and  Miss  Betty. 

In  1859,  being  well  pleased  with  the  cattle  of  the 

«  A.H.B.,  C.413,  492,  975, 1043,  1132,  1139,  1267,  1613;  B.  404. 

«  A.H.  B.,  V,.  3S4,  425,  589,  821,  876£;  C.  910,  975,  986,  1007,  1132,  1185,  etc. 

49  A.  H.  B.,  C.  896,  939,  1033,  1036,  1070,  1159,  1229,  etc. 

w  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1720,  1457,  1733. 

si  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1135 ;  1535;  1598;  1599;  1572;  867. 

62  A.  H.  BM  B.  755;  C.  1843:  1908;  87ti;  1737;  1396;  1088. 

«  H.  H.  Peters'  Cat.U.  S.  Dept.  Ag.  Kept.  1863,  p.  198. 


IMPORTATIONS .  169 

previous  year,  he  engaged  Mr.  Howard  to  go  to  1858 
Scotland  expressly  on  his  account  to  select  and  pur- 
chase. In  August,  1859,  there  arrived  two  bulls, 
Eglintou  and  King  Coil,  and  twenty-one  cows  and 
heifers.  Ada,  who  proved  barren,  Alice,  Beauty, 
Brenda  in  calf  with  Brenda  2d,  Corslet,  Duchess  2d, 
Flora,  Jane,  Maggie,  Mary  3d,  Minna,  Miss  Drew, 
Mistress  2d,  Nannie,  Pink  in  calf  with  Oswald, 
Queen  2d  in  calf  with  Empress,  Queen  3d,  Rosa, 
Ruth,  Susan  in  calf  with  Susan  2d,  and  Young  Mer- 
ry ton  in  calf  with  Merryton  3d.54 

While  Mr.  Howard  was  in  Scotland  he  appears  to 
have  selected  cattle  for  others.  Such  was  the  case 
with  the  cow  Effie,  imported  by  Mr.  Rufus  Carter, 
of  Worcester,  in  1858  ;55  and  probably  the  cow 
Margery,  imported  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Cabot,  of  Salem,  in 
1858  ;56  the  cow  Jessie,  imported  by  Dr.  George 
B.  Loring,  of  Salem,  the  same  year  ;57  and  the  impor- 
tations of  Mr.  Lyman  were  of  his  selection.  Geo. 
W.  Lyman,  of  Waltham,  appears  to  have  received 
the  bull  Comet,  possibly  two  cows,  one  to  calve  with 
the  bull  calf  Scotland.58 

In  1858  also,  Mr.  John  Brooks,  of  Princeton, 
Mass.,  imported  a  bull,  Dr.  Hornbrook.59 

Capt.  Peel,  of  Canada,  is  said  to  have  brought 
over  in  this  year  a  bull,  Roxborough,  and  a  cow.60 

The  importation  of  Mr.  C.  M.  Pond,  of  Hartford, 
Conn.,  made  this  year,  appears  to  have  consisted  of 

M  H  H.  Peters'  Cat.  w  A.  H.  B  ,  C.  135. 

«  A.  H.B..C.  358.  67  A.  H.  B.,  C.  107. 

"  A.  H.  B.,  B.  124,  131,  132, 133,  316.  C.  240,  374,  419,  437,  476,  606,  742,  782, 
805,1746;  C.  132, 133;  C.  357. 

*>  A.  H.  B.,  B.  16.  H.  H.  Peters'  Cat.   «  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1569, 1245. 


170  IMPORTATIONS . 

the  yearling  bull  Robert  Burns,  and  the  two-year-olds 
Jennie,  Jessie,  and  Rose  of  Brown  Hill. 

His  importation  of  1859  was  Ayrshire  Lassie, 
Lily  of  Smithfield  in  calf  with  Cardigan,  and  a  heifer, 
Bella.61 

1859  For  an  account  of  the  importation  of  Mr.  H.  H. 
Peters  for  this  year,  see  under  date  of  1858,  as  well 
as  that  of  Mr.  Pond. 

In  1859,  a  Robert  Gray,  of  Fredericton,  New 
Brunswick,  is  said  to  have  imported  a  bull,  Geordie.62 

Mr.  Gardner  Brewer,  of  Boston,  imported  a  cow, 
Flora,  in  calf  with  Robert  Fulton,  during  this  year.63 

Three  two-year-old  heifers,  Fanny  Ellsler,  Florena, 
and  Lady  Ellen,  were  imported  in  1859  by  Mr.  H. 
E.  Day,  of  Hartford,  Conn.64 

Mr.  Eben  S.  Poor,  of  South  Danvers,  Mass.,  im- 
ported this  year  two  cows,  Lily  in  calf  with  Duke, 
and  Rosa  in  calf  with  Bessie,65  and  possibly  a  bull.66 

About  the  year  1859,  or  previously,  there  seems 
to  have  been  imported  the  animals  known  as  the 
Cuthbert  bull  and  cow,  by  Mrs.  Cuthbert,  of  Lano- 
raie,  P.  Q.  ;  or  perhaps  this  importation  is  the  same 
with  that  of  Mr.  Cuthbert,  of  Berthier,  who  seems  to 
be  credited  with  some  about  the  same  time.  One  of 
these  animals  is  apparently  Maggie  Lauder.67 

1860  The  importation  of  Messrs.  Dawes,  for  1860,  has 
been  noticed  under  date  of  1858. 


61  A.  H.  B.,  B.  57;  C.  98,  111,  190,  4,  130;  B.  265;  C.  409, 961,  1651. 

62  A.  H.  B.,  B.  23.  6*  A.  H.  B.,  C.  72,  78,  123. 

63  A.  H.  B.,  C.  38S,  B.  318.  65  A.  H.  B.,  B.  356. 

66  Count.  Gent.,  Feb.  2, 1861.    Alb.  Cult ,  Apr.  1860,  p.  130. 

67  A.H.  B.,  C.  1026,  1020,  601, 1027,  etc.      Abbott's   Sale  Cat.  1873,  A.  H.  B. 
B.  197,  635,  5,39;  C.  10d4,  992, 1027, 1405, 1624,  581.    Whitney's  Cat.  1871. 


IMPORTATIONS .  171 

111  1860,  Mr.  John  Chambers,  residing  near  Mont- 
real, appears  to  have  imported  a  three-year-old 
heifer,  Strawberry.68 

The  account  of  the  importation  of  Brodie,  etc.,  for 
this  year,  will  be  found  under  date  of  1852. 

In  1861,  S.  Beattie,  of  Canada,  imported  in  ship 
"  Helen  Douglas,"  at  the  port  of  Quebec,  an  Ayrshire 
cow.69 

Mr.  Beattie  appears  to  have  imported  a  cow,  Moun- 
tain Maid,  which  possibly  is  the  animal  referred  to 
above,  and  at  a  later  date  a  bull,  Carrick  Farmer.70 

It  was  in  this  year  that  a  Mr.  Miller  is  said  to 
have  imported  a  cow  and  a  calf  on  the  ship  "  Helen 
Douglas,"  at  Quebec.70  These  importations  being  on 
the  same  vessel  with  Brodie  and  Campbell's,  were 
possibly  of  their  selection. 

The  importation  of  Mr.  Watson  for  1861  has  been 
noticed  under  date  of  1854. 

•In  the  spring  of  1863,  J.  M.  Browning,  of  Beau- 
harnois,  P.  Q.,  seems  to  have  imported  the  cow  Effie 
in  calf  with  Daisy.71  It  is  possible  that  the  bull 
Marquis,  said  to  have  been  brought  over  by  the 
Beauharnois  Agricultural  Society,  was  imported  at 
this  time.72 

The  importation  of  Brodie  &  Co.  for  1864  has 
already  been  noticed  under  date  of  1852. 

In  June,  1864,  J.  L.  Gibb,  Esq.,  of  Compton,  P. 
Q.,  commenced  his  series  of  importations  with  the 

es  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1866. 

69  Count.  Qent.,  June  13,  1861. 

70  A.  H.  B.,  B.  883;  C.  825,  845,  894,  1092,  1098,  1267. 
"  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1104,  1046. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  B.  709. 


172  IMPORTATIONS . 

five-year-old  cows  Quess  and  Lily,  the  yearling  heifer 
Gypsey,  and  the  bull  Marquis.73 

In  August,  1868,  he  brought  over  the  two-year- 
olds  Princess  Alice  and  Princess  Royal,74  with  Flor- 
ence and  Hebe  in  their  wombs,  and  the  yearling  bull 
Mars. 

In  1870  two  importations.  The  one  in  June  con- 
sisted of  the  five-year-old  Annie  ;  the  four-year-olds, 
Medora  in  calf  with  Medora  2d ;  Lina  in  calf  with 
Merry  ton  Lass,  and  Flora;  the  three-year-old  Em- 
ma, who  dropped  the  heifer  Atlanta  on  shipboard ; 
the  two-year-olds  Lily  2d,  Park  2d,  Rossie,  Rough- 
head  2d,  Blackhouse  2d,  Gartnoad  2d,  and  Alice.75 

In  September,  1870,  the  yearling  bull  Glenluce, 
and  the  four-year-old  Lady  Avondale,  in  calf  with 
Lord  Avondale  ;  the  two-year-old  Mary  in  calf  with 
Earl  of  Lome,  and  Beauty ;  the  yearling  heifers 
Blooming  Daisy,  Mary  Belle,  Miss  Meikle,  Heather 
Belle,  and  Lass  o'  Gowrie.76 

In  September,  1871,  the  two-year  heifers  Verbena 
and  Crocus. 

In  August,  1873,  in  the  steamship  "Hibernian,"  at 
Quebec,  Mr.  Gibb  imported  the  cows  Clariuda, 
Heather  Bloom,  and  Heather  Bell,  Derby,  and  the 
two-year  heifer  May  Morn.77 

1865      Mr.  Thomas  Miller,  of  Brushlaud,  Delaware  Co., 
N.  Y.,  made  his  importation  of  the  cow  Daisy  in 

78  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1769,  1234,  1235, 1237. 
'*  A.  H.  B.,  O.  1749,  1750,  17*1. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  C.  348,  1573,  1574,  1578,  1897,  1200,  1130,  856,  1464,  1702,  1810, 
1813,  935,  1222,  831. 

«  A.  H.  B.,  C.  144.  B.  682,  537.  Count.  Gent.,  Nov.  3,  1870. 
"  Count.  Gent.,  Aug.  28,  1873. 


IMPORTATIONS.  1 73 

calf  with  Favorite,  and  the  bull  Duke  of  Hamilton,  1865 
in   the    ship  "John  Phyfe,"  which  arrived  at  New 
York,  May  1,  1865. 

At  the  same  time  was  imported  Rosy  or  Scotch 
Rosy,  who  was  afterwards  purchased  by  Mr.  Miller. 

For  the  details  of  James  Logan's  importation  of 
this  year,  see  under  1853. 

For  the  details  of  J.  L.  Gibb's  importation  for 
1868,  see  under  date  of   1864,  and  that  of  Dawes  1808 
under  1858. 

For  that  of  Mr.  Watson,  see  under  date  of  1854. 

In  November  of  this  year,  per  steamship  "  Java," 
at  the  port  of  New  York,  Mr.  G.  D.  Cragin,  of  Rye, 
imported  the  cows  Rowena  in  calf  with  Hero,  Edith, 
Duchess  of  Hamilton,  Queen  Bess,  Queen  Mary,  and 
a  bull,  Duke  of  Hamilton.78 

In  the  barque  "  Melbourne  "  from  Ardrossan ,  in  De- 
cember, 1868,  Mr.  H.  W.  Tilton,  of  Walpole,  Mass., 
received  a  pair  of  Ayrshire  cattle,  Earl  of  Holderness 
and  Lady  Harmonic.79 

William  Semper,  of  Allegheny  City,  Penn.,  is 
stated  to  have  imported  Clydesdale  and  Lily  in 
1868.80 

In  1868,  or  thereabout,  an  importation  of  a  bull, 
Robbie  Burns,  is  claimed  for  Thomas  Irving,  of 
Rockfield,  near  Montreal.81 

For  the  importation  of  Messrs.  Dawes  in  1869,  see  1869 
under  date  of  1858. 


™  Count.  Gent ,  Oct.  7, 1869.    A.  H.  B  ,  B.  612,  C.  1099, 1759,  1762. 
™  Count.  Gent.,  Dec.  24,  1868.    A  H.  B.,  B  536;  C.  1421. 
so  A  H  B.,  B.  730.  «  A.  H.  B.,  B.  804. 


174  IMPORTATIONS. 

1869  In  July,  1869,  arrived  the  first  of  Mr.  N.  S.  Whit- 
ney's importations  at  Montreal,  the  yearling  bull 
Jock,  and  the  two-year-old  Bessie  Bell.82 

In  June,  1870,  Mr.  Whitney  received,  per  ship 
"Geneva,"  the  four-year  cow  Clara,  who  dropped  on 
shipboard  the  bull  calf  Pride  of  Geneva ;  Kelso, 
three  years  old,  also  dropped  a  bull  calf,  Sailor, 
while  on  shipboard ;  Maggie,  in  calf  with  Marquis  of 
Bute,  and  the  two-year-olds  Netty  and  Dow  2d.83 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1870,  arrived  Barro- 
chan  Maid,  and  Bonnie  Lassie  in  calf  with  Bonnie 
Lassie  Sd.83 

In  1871  still  another  importation  by  Mr.  Whitney. 
Eleven  head  arrived  in  September,  in  the  ship 
"Abeona."  These  were  Daisy,  in  calf  with  the  bull 
Fleetwood ;  Rosie,  who  dropped  a  bull  calf,  Nep- 
tune, while  on  the  water;  Flora  in  calf  with  Flora 
2d;  Stately,  and  Beauty  who  dropped  Beauty  2d, 
on  shipboard.84 

1869  In  1869,  Mr.  M.  P.  Cochrane,  of  Canada,  imported 
two  Ayrshire  heifers,  probably  Lady  of  the  Lake 
and  Ma<rgie.85 

In  1871,  or  thereabout,  Mr.  Cochrane  seems  to 
have  imported  the  bull  Champion,  and  the  cows 
Daisy,  Cocksey,  Village  Maid,  and  Mary  Gray.86 

On  the  9th  December,  1869,  arrived  on  the  steam- 
ship "Nova  Scotian,"  at  Portland,  the  importation  of 


82  N.  S.  Whitney's  Cat.,  Jan.  1870.    A.  H.  B.,  B.  641,  C.  926. 

83  N.  S.  Whitney's  Cat.,  Jan.  1871. 

«*  N.  S.  Whitney's  Cat.,  May,  1872.    Count.  Gent.,  Oct.  5, 1871. 

85  Count.  Gent.,  Sept.  2,  1869.    Entry  Cat ,  tf.  y.  Ag.  goc.  Fair,  1872. 

8c  Entry  Cat,,  N,  Y,  State  Ag.  Soc.  Fair,  1872. 


IMPORTATIONS .  175 

Sturtevant  Brothers,  Waushakum  Farm,  South  Fra- 
mingham,  Mass.  It  consisted  of  eight  cows,  Edna 
in  calf  with  Glengarry ;  Ozora  in  calf  with  Ocena ; 
Drusilla  in  calf  with  Domine,  whose  name  was  after- 
wards changed  to  Shotto-Douglas ;  Queen  of  Ayr, 
in  calf  with  bull  Mains ;  Ops  in  calf  with  Eos ; 
Twinney  in  calf  with  Euona,  whose  name  was  after- 
wards changed  to  Alice  Brand ;  Mona  in  calf  with 
Banquo ;  and  Selena,  in  calf  with  Asmodeus. 

The  importations  of  Mr.  Gibb  for  this  year  have 
already  been  noticed  under  date  of  1864;  those  of 
Mr.  Whitney  under  date  of  1869;  that  of  Messrs. 
Dawes  under  date  of  1858  ;  and  under  date  of  1852 
that  of  Brodie  &  Co. 

In  July,  1870,  Mr.  William  Gibson,  of  Morrisburg,  1370 
P.  O.,  imported  six  cows  and  a  bull  in  ship  "  Thomas 
Hamlin."  These  appear  to  have  been  Ranting  Robin, 
Jennie,  Rosa,  Maggie,  Edith,  Princess  in  calf  with 
Thomas  Hamlin,  and  a  Maggie,  in  calf  with  Robert 
Burns.87 

Maggie  and  Edith  appear  to  have  gone  to  J.  T. 
Rutherford,  Waddington,  N.  Y.,  and  are  referred  to 
as  of  his  importation.88 

In  July,  1870,  per  ship  "  Abeona,"  Mr.  J.  J.  C. 
Abbott,  of  St.  Anne's,  near  Montreal,  seems  to  have 
imported  the  cow  Li  lias  and  the  bull  Sir  Roger, 
Young  Primrose,  Young  Mary,  Young  Dandy,  Young 
Beauty,  and  the  bull  Yellow-Haired  Laddie  may  also 
be  credited  to  this  arrival,  Mr.  Abbott  had  also  in 

87  A.H.  B,B   791|; 


176  IMPORTATIONS. 

1870  his  possession,  and  probably  imported  Alison,  Anna- 
bel, and  Abeona,  imported  in  dam  Annabel.89 

It  is  possible  that  Darling  3d,  and  Geneva  with 
her  calf  Sir  Hugh,  were  imported  by  Mr.  Abbott, 
although  we  have  found  references  to  Mr.  C.  C.  Ab- 
bott as  their  importer  in  the  ship  "Abeona."90 

In  1873  Mr.  Abbott  again  imports, —  this  time  two 
cows,  Viola  and  Elsie.91 

In  1870,  William  H.  T.  Hughes,  agent  for  L.  P. 
Fowler,  of  England,  an  importer  by  business,  intro- 
duced eight  cows  in  calf  per  ship  "Rhine,"  in  his 
first  invoice,  and  nine  cows  and  a  bull  per  ship 
"Plymouth  Rock,"  from  London,  in  his  second. 

Of  his  first  importation  were  the  cows  Betty  Burke 
and  Scotia. 

Of  his  second  importation  the  cows  Beauty,  Cozie, 
Buttercup,  Cowslip,  Ayrshire,  and  Ayrshire  Bell. 

In  July,  1870,  on  ship  "  Thomas  Hamlin,"  at  Mont- 
real, Mr.  J.  H.  Morgan,  of  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y., 
brought  over  his  first  importation,  the  bull  Habbie 
Simpson,  and  the  cows  Model  of  Perfection,  Minnie, 
and  Nancy.  Minnie  passed  into  the  possession  of  D. 
Magone,  Jr.,  and  Nancy,  of  Z.  B.  Bridges,  Esq., 
both  of  Ogdensburg ;  and  Model  of  Perfection  at  a 
later  date  was  sold  to  Sturtevant  Bros,  for  $1,000, 
the  highest  price  known  to  have  been  paid  for  an 
animal  of  this  breed. 

In  April,  1871,  Mr.  Morgan  made  his  second  im- 
portation in  the  ship  "  Eumenides."  It  consisted  of 

88  A.  H.  B..  C.  1455 ;  B.  868.    Count.  (Jent.,  July  14, 1870.    C.  836,  844,  822. 

90  C.  C  Abbott's  Sale  Cat 

«  Count.  Gent.,  July  31, 1873.    Abbott's  Sale  Cat. 


IMPORTATIONS.  177 

the  bull  Adino,  and  the  cows  Annie,  Bessie  in  calf  1870 
with  Sea  King,  and  Georgie,  in  calf  with  the  heifer 
Sea  Bird.    Annie  was  transferred  to  D.  Magone,  Jr., 
while  Georgie  and  Sea  Bird  went  to  Sturtevant  Bros. 

Having  perused  the  entire  correspondence  between 
Mr.  Morgan  and  his  agent  abroad,  we  think  there  is 
little  doubt  but  that  these  importations  were  of  the 
best  stock  in  Scotland ;  and  to  the  rivalry  induced 
by  this  first  importation  may  be  ascribed  the  excep- 
tional quality  of  the  importations  of  this  and  the 
following  years. 

In  September,  1870,  Thomas  Thompson  &  Son,  of 
Williamsburg,  P.  O.,  brought  over  an  importation  of 
eight,  selected  personally.  These  were  the  two-year- 
old  bull  Crown  Prince,  and  the  yearling  bull  Highland 
Chief,  the  cow  Diamond  in  calf  with  Hansom,  and 
the  heifers,  Annie  in  calf  with  Queen  of  Beauty,  Ras- 
sie  2d  in  calf  with  Rose  of  Carron,  Rassie  3d  in  calf 
with  Queen  of  Scots,  and  the  calves  Duchess  and 
Bonnie  Jean.92 

In  October,  1870,  Mr.  Thomas  Paterson,  of  Gou- 
verneur,  N.  Y. ,  imported  per  steamship  "  Sweden," 
at  Quebec,  a  pair  of  yearlings,  Lord  Raglan  and 
Beauty. 

In  the  same  vessel,  at  the  same  time,  Mr.  Andrew 
Allan,  of  Montreal,  brought  over  the  two-year-old 
bull  Boydstone,  and  the  cows  Susan,  Fleckie,  Rogers, 
and  Kate. 

In  June,   1871,  per  steamships  "  European "  and 

a2  Thompson's  Catalogue,  1871. 


178  IMPORTATIONS. 

"Nova  Scotian,"  the  cows  Belle  of  .Straven,  Barbara 
Allan,  Fairy  Queen,  Straven  Maid,  and  Straven 
Queen. 

In  September,  1871,  per  ship  "  Abeona,"  the  bull 
Conquer. 

1871  For  a  notice  of  the  importation  of  Mr.  Allan  for 
1871,  see  under  date  of  1870  ;  for  that  of  Mr.  Coch- 
rane,  see  under  date  of  1869  ;  of  Mr.  Morgan,  under 
date  of  1870  ;  of  Mr.  Whitney,  under  date  of  1869  ; 
of  Messrs.  Dawes,  under  date  of  1858  ;  of  Brodie  & 
Co.,  under  date  of  1852  ;  and  Gibbs,  under  1864. 

July  31,  1871,  per  ship  "Gluco,"  at  Montreal, 
Mr.  James  McNee  imported  the  yearling  bull  Kobert 
Burns,  and  the  two-year-old  heifers,  Highland  Mary 
and  Ayrshire  Maid. 

October  31,  1871,  Mr.  Charles  H.  Peckham,  of 
Providence,  R.  I.,  imported,  in  barque  "  J.  B.  Duf- 
fries,"  three  heifers,  Highland  Maid,  Village  Belle, 
and  Sally. 

1873  For  the  importation  of  Mr.  Abbott  for  1873,  see 
under  date  of  1870.  For  that  of  Mr.  Gibb,  see 
under  date  of  1864. 

In  October,  1873,  Irving  Moyer,93  of  Fort  Plain, 
N.  Y.,  imported  the  two-year-old  bull  Sir  John 
Moore,  and  the  cows  Lady  Martha  and  Lady  Mari- 
am.  The  calves  Heather  Jock  and  Damsel  were 
imported  in  these  cows. 

In  a  list  by  themselves  we  place  those  importations 
which  we  are  unable  to  identify  by  a  certain  date. 

»3  Count.  Gent.,  Oct.  15, 1874,  p.  666. 


IMPORTATIONS.  179 

Mr.  K.  S.  Griswold  is  said  to  have  imported  a 
bull,  Juba,  and  cow,  Whitey,  some  time  previous  to 
1849. 94 

Mr.  Nicholas  Bicldle,  of  Philadelphia,  seems  to 
have  made  an  importation  previous  to  the  year  1850. 

Between  1850  and  1854,  Mr.  Peter  Lawson,  of 
Lowell,  appears  to  have  imported  a  bull,  McDuff.95 

A  Capt.  Smith  is  credited  with  having  imported 
a  cow,  Cherry,  which  must  have  been  within  the 
decade,  1850  and  I860.96 

Sir  George  Simpson  is  said  to  have  imported  a 
cow,  Lady  Simpson,  somewhere  about  this  time.97 

Previous  to  1855  Col.  Beatson  appears  to  have  im- 
ported a  cow,  Lady  Betty.98 

Previous  to  1858  the  Hochelaga  Agricultural 
Society,  of  Montreal,  imported  the  bullBauldie,  and 
afterwards  the  bull  Buchanan,  and  another  without 
name.99 

Previous  to  1858  the  Montreal  Agricultural  So- 
ciety is  credited  with  having  imported  a  bull,  Bauldie, 
and  previous  to  1860  a  cow,  Queen  of  Scots.100 

Somewhere  near  1860,  Mr.  Thomas  Richardson, 
of  West  Farms,  New  York,  appears  to  have  imported 
a  pair,  Eric  and  Norna,  and  possibly  Norval,  in 
dam.101 

A  cow  named  Sally  appears  to  have  been  imported 
by  a  Mr.  Hutchinson  previous  to  I860.102 

M  A.  H.  B.,  C.  105.  96  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1808, 1940. 

»5  A.  H.  B  ,  C.  100, 127, 141.  m  C.  C.  Abbott's  Sale  Cat.  1870. 

»8  A.  H.  B.,  C.  593i,  705 ;  B.  394. 

TO  A.  H.  B.,  C.  773£,  774,  810,  1460.    King's  Cat.  1872. 
100  A.  H.  B.,  C.  447,  1132, 1446,  1729 ;  B.  72. 

1Q1  A.  H.  B.,  B.  630;  C.  6731,  676,  775£,  1125, 1147, 1021,  1050,  1691,  1692. 
«»  A.  H.  B.,  B.  785;  C.  893,  998. 


180  IMPORTATIONS. 

A  bull  was  imported  by  a  Mr.  Burstall,  of  Quebec, 
before  1860. 

Mr.  R  D.  Shepherd,  of  Va.,  is  said  to  have  im- 
ported a  bull,  Brutus,  previous  to  1859. 103 

Mr.  Charles  Jones,  of  Brockville,  Canada,  is 
credited  with  the  importation  of  a  cow,  Bonnie 
Lass.104 

J.  Gilmore,  of  Quebec,  is  credited  with  having 
imported  a  cow  named  Buttercup  previous  to  1865. 
He  is  also  said  to  have  imported  Rob  Roy  for  the 
Montreal  Agricultural  Society.  Is  the  Rob  Roy 
of  the  1853  importation  of  this  Society  the  same 
bull?105 

Before  1864  the  bull  Ayr  2d  was  imported  by 
Mr.  Perreault  of  the  "  Canada  Agriculturist." 

Some  time  in  186-  it  is  claimed  that  Mr.  Win.  E. 
Lockwood,  of  Peun.,  imported  a  pair,  Zero  and 
Kate.106 

About  1867,  Mr.  W.  Rodden,  of  Montreal,  P.  Q., 
appears  to  have  imported  Scotch  Mary,  Snow  Drop, 
and  Nancy  of  Ayr.107 

Some  time  later  than  1867,  Mr.  J.  Laurie,  of 
Scarboro',  P.  O.,  is  said  to  have  imported  Avondale 
Farmer  and  Dutchy.108 

Mr.  Patrick  B.  Wright,  of  Coburg,  Canada,  is 
said  to  have  imported  Young  Percy  and  Buttercup 
before  1868.109 


103  A.  H.  B.,  C.  99.  "4  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1941. 

105  A.  H.  B.,  C.  706.  737. 

106  Entry  Cat.  N.  Y.  State  Ag.  Soc.  Fair,  1872. 
"7  A.  H.  B.,  C.  1644, 1831,  1842. 

io8  A.  H  B  ,  B.  422,  C.  1(  94. 

100  Thomas  Thompson  &  Son's  Cat.  1871. 


IMPORTATIONS.  181 

Between  1870  and  1872,  Mr.  Simon  Beattie  ap- 
parently imported  the  bull  Young  Prince  and  heifer 
Straveu  Calient10 

The  Hamilton  Agricultural  Society  of  Canada 
seems  to  have  imported  a  bull  through  Hon.  Michael 
Cameron  ;  this  bull  afterwards  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  a  Col.  Astley.111 


Entry  Cat.  X.  T.  State  Ag.  Soc.  1872,  p.  18. 
C.  C.  Abbott's  Sale  Cat. 


PEDIGREE. 


THOSE  who  are  at  the  expense  of  introducing  a 
foreign  breed  of  cattle,  are  generally  desirous  of 
preserving  it  untainted  from  interbreeding  with  the 
cattle  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  They  desire 
also  to  preserve  some  memoranda  of  each  individual 
of  the  foreign  breed,  both  for  present  use  and  future 
reference.  They  are  thus  enabled  to  breed  them 
more  understandingly,  for  they  know  whether  the 
animals  mated  are  akin  or  not,  as  also  whether  a 
particular  animal  has  originated  from  ancestry  of  a 
particular  or  desirable  type.  If  there  be  one  herd 
only  of  the  new  stock  in  the  country,  the  owner  must 
have  notes  either  written,  or  preserved  in  memory, 
or  the  stock  is  likely  to  deteriorate.  If  he  trusts  to 
memory,  and  upon  his  death  the  stock  passes  into 
the  hands  of  strangers,  without  further  knowledge  of 
the  animals  than  comes  of  seeing  them,  much  of  the 
value  of  the  animals  have  departed  with  the  demise 
of  their  owner.  When  the  new  breed  is  somewhat 
disseminated,  and  there  are  many  herds,  breeders 
find  it  advisable  to  seek  occasionally  an  interchange 
of  blood.  But  no  breeder  will  do  this  without  the 
fullest  assurance  of  the  stock  he  seeks  being  pure 
bred,  and  without  knowing,  if  possible,  from  what 
parentage  the  animal  has  come. 


HERD   BOOK.  183 

The  breeder's  object  being  first  to  produce  good 
animals,  and  second  to  secure  remuneration  from 
their  sale,  it  is  important  to  have  a  regular  and 
systematic  plan  for  making  his  efforts  known  both  to 
those  engaged  with  the  new  breed,  and  others  who 
may  be  desirous  of  adopting  it.  By  such  a  plan,  not 
only  will  higher  prices  be  realized,  but  the  breed  will 
become  more  disseminated. 

To  effect  these  several  objects,  — the  preservation 
of  a  breed  in  its  purity,  the  maintenance  of  the 
excellence  already  attained,  the  secureinent  of  a 
progressive  improvement,  the  advertising  and  thus 
facilitating  sales,  the  guaranteeing  of  the  expected 
purchasers  against  fraud  to  a  large  extent,  —  all 
those  interested  in  a  common  breed  unite  in  the  sup- 
port of  what  is  known  as  a  herd  book. 

This  is,  or  should  be,  a  printed  volume.  It  should 
contain  the  name,  with  a  number  attached,  of  each 
animal  of  the  breed  imported,  from  whence  imported, 
by  whom  bred,  for  and  by  whom  imported,  ship,  port 
of  entry,  and  date  of  arrival,  — a  description  of  the 
animal  sufficiently  minute  for  identification,  with  the 
age  and  sex. 

Starting  with  imported  animals  as  a  foundation 
stock,  their  descendants  alone  should  be  entered, 
with  description  of  each,  date  of  birth,  by  whom 
bred,  by  whom  owned,  and  names  and  numbers  of 
sires  and  dams  to  importation. 

The  value  of  a  herd  book,  in  every  case,  depends 
upon  its  fulness,  completeness,  and  reliability.  If  it 
is  found  easy  to  enter  a  grade  animal  in  a  book  de- 


184  HERD    BOOK. 

signed  only  for  the  imported  stock,  and  the  progeny 
of  imported  stock,  it  is  far  from  impossible  that  some 
persons  will  take  this  cheap  course  of  fraud,  herald 
their  grade  animals  as  pure,  and  obtain  for  them  a 
place  in  this  choice  company.  The  need,  then,  is 
manifest  of  adopting  some  rigid  conditions,  conform- 
able to  certain  principles  of  utility,  and  the  abiding 
by  them  persistently.  For  not  only  does  the  fraud 
of  entering  grade  animals  produce  a  lowering  of  the 
quality  of  the  breed,  but  by  producing  an  abundance 
of  low-cost  stock,  prevents  the  more  careful  and 
exemplary  breeder  from  selling  a  stock,  costing 
higher  and  of  more  value,  at  remunerative  prices.  A 
herd  book  which  will  allow  of  this,  acts  to  discourage 
the  honorable  breeder,  and  tends  to  drive  him  from 
the  field  in  despair. 

The  incorrectness  of  a  herd  book,  known  at  first 
perhaps  only  to  a  few  persons,  imposes  obstacles  for 
a  while  upon  the  many  ;  but  afterwards,  by  becoming 
known  to  many,  induces  a  want  of  confidence  in 
pedigrees,  faith  in  which  is  so  conducive  to  success 
in  breeding  stock  to  a  high  degree  of  excellence. 

It  is  a  cause  for  regret  that  the  earlier  importers 
of  Ayrshire  cattle  did  not  foresee  the  advantages 
that  were  to  be  derived  from  a  herd  book,  and  the 
disadvantages  that  would  attend  its  absence.  When 
the  attempt  was  made  at  the  late  date  of  1863,  there 
were  herds  of  cattle  in  the  country,  thought  by  their 
owners  to  be  too  valuable  to  be  excluded  from  such 
a  work,  —  cattle  undoubtedly  Ayrshire,  but  of  ances- 
try so  ill-defined  and  uncertain,  that  their  admission 


HEKD    BOOK.  185 

to  registration  precluded  the  rejection  of  animals 
far  more  objectionable.  The  volume  of  this  year 
records  the  names  of  79  males  and  216  females.  Of 
the  males,  the  number  stated  to  have  been  imported 
is  11 ;  the  number  whose  ancestry  is  traced  unbroken 
to  importation  is  50;  others,  18.  Of  the  females, 
the  number  entered  as  imported  is  57  ;  traced  un- 
broken to  importation,  109 ;  others,  50.  There  are 
thus  68  animals  recorded  "  on  the  assurances  of  well- 
known  breeders  that  the  animals  in  question  are 
thoroughbred  Ayrshires."  These  assurances  are  not 
founded  upon  definite  information  as  to  their  breed- 
ing,; they  may  be  true,  but  there  appears  to  be  no 
evidence  presented  that  the  assurances  are  anything 
more  than  selfish  opinions. 

With  the  appearance  of  the  second  volume  in 
1868,  the  number  of  Ayrshires,  the  pedigrees  of 
which  are  presented  complete  or  unbroken,  is  near 
1,300.  Of  the  bulls  in  Volumes  I  and  II,  about  280 
appear  to  be  traced  to  importation ;  about  120  are 
not  so  traced.  Of  the  females  traced  to  importation 
there  are  about  530  ;  not  so  traced,  about  228. 

Each  of  these  volumes  bears  the  title,  "  Herd 
Record  of  the  Association  of  Breeders  of  Thorough- 
bred Stock,  Ayrshire."  The  second  has  a  recognized 
editor,  J.  N.  Bagg,  of  West  Springfield,  Mass. 

In  1871,  Volume  III  appeared,  with  Mr.  Bagg  for 
editor,  but  with  a  new  title,  "  The  American  and 
Canadian  Ayrshire  Herd  Record."  The  Canadian 
portion  is  of  Canadian  editorship,  over  which  it  ap- 
pears the  American  editor  exercised  no  supervision. 
9* 


186  HERD   BOOK. 

In  this  volume  the  number  of  bulls  registered  is 
brought  to  number  931,  of  females  to  number  1,951. 
We  have  thus  far  recorded  59  imported  bulls,  and 
192  imported  cows.  Of  the  total  pedigrees  to  date, 
1,354  are  traced  to  importation,  and  1,321  are  not 
traced  to  importation. 

We  will  place  the  result  of  our  analysis  of  the 
"Bagg"  Herd  Book  in  the  form  of  a  table. 

Number  of  animals  recorded  :  — 

Vol.1 79  Bulls,  216  Cows.  Total 295 

"II 342      "  617      "  "       959 

"  III 527   "      3,145   "         "   1,672 

948         1,978  2,926 

Number  of  imported  animals  recorded  :  — 

Vol.   I  11  Bulls,  57  Cows.  Total 68 

"II 10      "  18      "  "     28 

"     III 38      "  117      "  "     155 

59  192  251 

Number  of  animals  recorded  properly  :  — 

Vol.   1 50  Bulls,  109  Cows.  Total 159 

"      II 230      "  421       "  "     651 

"      III 202      ^  342       "  "     544 

482  872  1,354 

Number  of  animals  improperly  recorded  :  — 

Vol.1  18  Bulls,  50  Cows.  Total 68 

"     II 102      "  178      "  "    280 

"     III 287      "  686      "  "     973 

407  914  1,321 

Percentage  of  poor  pedigrees1  in  Vol.  I,      23 
«  <«  «  «     n,    29 

"   in,  58 

Average  for  all,  45  per  ct. 

1  By  poor  pedigrees  is  meant,  Recorded  improperly.  Some  few  classed  here 
are  correct,  but  not  shown  so  by  the  record;  others  present  no  claims  for  cor- 
rectness other  than  the  fact  of  admission  to  the  record. 


HERD   BOOK.  187 

Iii  the  index  to  Volume  I,  we  find  the  names  of 
129  owners  ;  in  Volume  II,  this  number  has  increased 
to  206  ;  in  Volume  III,  to  322. 

The  average  number  of  animals  recorded  to  each 

o 

name  was  2.45  in  Volume  I,  4.65  in  Volume  II,  and 
5.06  in  Volume  III. 

The  distribution  by  States  in  Volume  III  is  as 
follows :  — 

Alabama 1  New  Jersey 13 

Connecticut 22  New  York 76 

Florida 1  Ohio 11 

Illinois i  Pennsylvania 8 

Indiana 1  Rhode  Island 13 

Iowa 1  Vermont 20 

Kansas 1  Virginia.' 1 

Maine 7  Wisconsin 1 

Massachusetts 90  New  Brunswick 2 

Michigan 6  Canada 30 

Mississippi 1 

Missouri 1  Total 322  owners. 

New  Hampshire 11 

It  seems  the  less  necessary  to  enter  upon  a  full 
explanation  of  the  attempt  to  furnish  a  herd  record 
for  the  breed,  from  the  circumstance  that  the  work  is 
wholly  unsatisfactory  to  breeders  and  purchasers,  who 
have  examined  it,  and  the  volumes  are  only  awaiting 
the  action  of  some  responsible  person,  or  association, 
to  start  a  register  upon  sounder  principles,  when  the 
present  work  will  be  ignored. 

After  this  arraignment  of  the  present  Herd  Book, 
it  seems  right  that  we  should  point  out  a  few  of  the" 
errors,  in  order  to  justify  ourselves  in  the  position 
we  have  taken. 


188  ERRORS  OF  HERD  BOOK. 

Misprints.  —  The  wrong  number  occurs  to  Sachem 
Chief,  in  C.  474;  Star  of  the  North,  in  B.  759, 
should  be  876|.  After  321  in  C.  849,  should  be 
221 ;  Jethro  h/Diva  1081  should  be  638  and  not  628, 
etc.  Audover,  not  Adams,  in  Moss  Rose  1620 ; 
Maggie  161  in  Lotty  1495  should  be  Maggie  1564; 
Daisy  1043  iii  C.  1175  should  be  1045,  etc. 

There  are  frequent  errors  in  names,  as  Allan  for 
Allen,  Graig  for  Greig,  in  1333  ;  in  names  of  places, 
as  Stathaver  instead  of  Strathaven,  in  Geordie  573, 
and  Lannarkshire  instead  of  Lanarkshire,  etc. 

Omission  of  Numbers,  —  as  250,  473,  515;  also, 
488,  489,  503,  505,  521,  565,  744,  767, 1332,  etc.  etc. 

Carelessness.  —  Sea  Bird  847J,  and  Vashti  901, 
among  the  bulls,  should  be  recorded  among  the 
females.  Robert  Bruce  314  and  808  are  the  same 
animal ;  as  are  also,  in  all  probability,  John  Gilpin 
652  and  653;  Robert  Burns  810  and  811;  Thomas 
Hamlin  888  and  889  ;  Belle  256  and  899  ;  Bonnie 
Jean  289  and  969  ;  Lady  Ayr  523  and  1394  ;  Maggie 
1319  and  1521,  etc.  etc. 

Pride  of  Geneva  is  entered  among  bulls,  No.  779, 
and  also  among  the  cows,  No.  1739. 

Lady  Bruce  1397  has  no  pedigree  given  what- 
soever. The  same  remark  applies  to  Lady  Prentice 
124,  and  others. 

Lack  of  Editorial  Supervision.  —  Lady  of  the 
Lake,  in  Prince  Arthur  783,  was  calved  same  year 
as  her  granddam. 

Star  of  the  North  876£  calved  May  7,  1866; 
dam,  Duchess  1090. 


ERRORS    OF   HERD   BOOK.  189 

Lanark  670  calved  March  24,  1866,  dam,  Duch 
ess  1090. 

How  could  Victor  904  be  bred  by  Thomas  Dawes 
&  Son,  Lachine,  P.  Q.,  when  her  dam  was  a  thor- 
oughbred cow  iii  Scotland  ? 

Tarn  o'  Shauter,  in  Buttercup  970,  was  imported 
from  New  Brunswick,  not  from  Scotland. 

Dew  Drop  338  and  Dew  Drop  1062  are  the  same 
animal,  with  a  difference  of  ten  days  in  birth. 

Heather  Bell  1267  and  1268  are  the  same  ani- 
mal. In  one  entry  the  dam  Florence  is  by  an  im- 
ported bull,  in  the  second  entry  she  is  imported. 

Spotty  (148)  in  Juno  1366  is  not  by  McKenzie, 
imported. 

Maggie  Morton  1528  and  Effie  Morton  364  have 
same  parents,  —  calved  in  1868,  one  in  February, 
the  other  in  January. 

Sailor  835  is  credited  with  Kelso  1385  for  a 
mother.  Kelso  was  calved  1870 ;  Sailor  the  same 
year. 

Medora  2d  1574  was  calved  in  July  on  board 
ship;  her  dam  Medora  1573  was  imported  in  June, 
1870. 

Ayrshire  Mary  864  could  not  be  "  bred  by  Mr.  Rod- 
den,"  when  sired  by  a  bull  in  Scotland. 

In  some  cases  we  have  very  serious  errors.  For 
example  :  John  o'  Groat,  dam  and  sire  both  imported 
by  R.  S.  Colt,  as  we  are  informed  under  Jock  643. 
Under  St.  Andrew  874  the  sire  is  said  to  have  been 
imported  by  Capt.  Nye.  Under  Young  America  925 
the  dam  comes  from  an  imported  bull  and  cow,  im- 


190  ERRORS  OF  HERD  BOOK. 

ported  by  Capt.  Nye.  In  still  another  place,  under 
Fame  1153,  we  have  an  entirely  different  account. 
Under  Kate  1369  John  o'  Groat  is  said  to  be  "  im- 
ported." Under  Lady  Geraldine  1416  this  name 
again  appears. 

Another  class  of  errors  is  when  the  same  cow  has 
two  calves  at  periods  much  closer  together  than 
usual.  For  instance  :  Lady  Mary  536  and  Sir  Colin 
Jr.  68  were  both  calved  by  Heather  Bell  86,  — the 
one  in  March,  the  other  in  April,  1860.  They  are 
recorded  as  half-sisters. 

Cornelia  35,  Belle  256,  Belle  899,  Logan  45,  were 
all  born  from  Heather  Bell  between  April  8  and  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1862. 

Jessie  6th  497  and  Dick  147  were  also  born  of 
different  fathers,  same  mothers,  and  yet  within  five 
days  of  each  other. 

Suegat  363  and  Flora  386  are  hardly  better  off. 

Cowslip  2d,  Lassie,  and  Cowslip  3d  were  all  born 
from  the  same  mother  but  different  fathers,  in  the 
same  year,  1864. 

Highland  Lassie  2d  and  Daddy  Auld  were  born 
within  a  month  of  each  other,  but  had  the  same 
father.  Peverel  and  Daisie  afford  another  instance, 
as  well  as  Flora  Temple  and  Rosa,  Highland  Mary 
and  Queen  Mary  (possibly  twins),  Lady  Gowan  and 
Kilburn,  and  others. 

In  truth,  the  errors  in  this  Herd  Book  are  too  nu- 
merous to  mention.  We  do  not  think  a  half-dozen 
pages  can  be  selected  from  Volume  III  which  shall 
be  entirely  free  from  error.  Opening  at  random,  we 


SIGNIFICANCE    OF   PEDIGREE.  191 

examine  page  72  :  but  one  correctly  recorded  ped- 
igree. (Sea  Bird  847 j  is  a  heifer.)  The  following 
page  is  no  better,  nor  is  page  75  an  improvement. 
Page  76,  again,  contains  six  poor  to  one  good  pedi- 
gree, etc.  etc.  Are  the  cows  any  better  recorded 
in  this  volume?  We  examine  page  110,  and  do  not 
find  a  single  perfect  pedigree.  Page  111  is  scarcely 
better  :  but  one  pedigree,  outside  of  the  imported 
animals,  that  can  be  pronounced  good.  A  little 
search  shows  page  136  without  a  single  perfect  ped- 
igree, and  we  find  many  others  with  but  one  each ; 
and  not  yet  have  we  found  one  perfect  page  in  this 
volume.1 

Having  now  briefly  noticed  the  deficiencies  of  the 
American  and  Canadian  Ayrshire  Herd  Book,  a  few 
reflections  concerning  the  significance  of  pedigree 
may  be  in  place. 

A  pedigree  is  more  or  less  complete  according  as 
the  animals  are  traced  backward  through  several 
generations,  with  or  without  omission  of  any  of  the 
ancestry.  If  we  know  the  earlier  parents,  and  are 
unable  to  trace  the  connective  link  that  ties  them  in 
relationship  to  the  animal  under  consideration,  then 
the  missing  links  are  so  much  out  of  our  knowledge  of 
the  animal ;  we  come  just  so  far  short  of  acquaintance 
with  the  antecedents  of  our  animal.  The  importance 
of  knowledge  of  the  antecedents  of  animals  from 
which  we  desire  a  succession,  depends  on  the  circum- 
stance, in  great  part,  that  all  animals  are  what  they 

1  Since  these  strictures  were  penned,  the  authors  of  the  present  book  have  in- 
augurated, at  the  request  of  breeders,  the  "  North  American  Ayrshire  Register," 
which  is  already  far  advanced  on  an  apparently  successful  course. 


192  •    INFLUENCE    OF    REMOTE    ANCESTRY. 

are  in  form,  in  mind,  in  capacity  for  useful  services 
to  man,  because  particular  individuals  rather  than 
others  are  related  to  them.  The  mating  of  male  and 
female  not  only  ensures  offspring,  but  offspring  im- 
pressed with  the  individual  stamp  of  the  parentage, 
more  or  less  disguised.  A  change  of  mating  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  changed  character  of  the  fruit,  and  each 
parent  contributes  to  form  the  general  mould  in 
which  the  offspring  is  cast. 

The  influence  of  near  ancestry  is  commonly  more 
obvious  than  of  ancestry  lying  at  three  or  four  or  a 
dozen  removes.  Peculiarities  we  are  apt  to  ascribe 
to  the  moulding  force  of  near  kindred  ;  but  we  should 
not  forget  that  this  moulding  force  passes  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  and  that  the  animal  before  us  is 
the  outcome  of  successive  steps,  of  which  neither  the 
sequence,  nor  the  character,  could  have  been  differ- 
ent without  occasioning  an  animal  different  in  some 
particulars. 

Improvement  is  not  readily  fixed  in  a  family  by 
two  or  three  or  a  half-dozen  successive  judicious 
mat  ings.  No  existing  breed  of  cattle,  of  marked 
value,  is  less  than  a  hundred  years  old,  though 
it  is  a  little  less  time  since  the  value  of  the  stock 
became  widely  recognized  and  the  record  of  marked 
improvement  begins.  We  know  what  value  is 
attached  to  Short-horn  cattle  whose  lineage  can 
be  traced  to  famous  animals  living  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  last  century.  The  best  Devons  descend 
from  animals  of  local  fame  living  in  the  early  part  of 
the  present  century.  The  fountain-head  of  the  breed 


PAST   AS    INFLUENCING   PRESENT.  193 

was  with  one  family,  the  Quartlys,  who  gave  them 
reputation,  and  who  have  kept  the  lead  since ;  and 
in  1850  two  neighbors  had  kept  up  this  breed  in  their 
families  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.2  A  large 
number  of  the  Devon  breed  in  America  have  traceable 
lineage  to  well-known  animals,  prize-takers  wherever 
shown.  The  history  of  this  stock  bespeaks  the  value 
of  antiquity  of  pedigree,  but  it  is  the  same  with  every 
breed  that  has  had  as  full  opportunities  of  develop- 
ment. Commonly  the  most  valued  Ayrshires  in  Scot- 
land have  most  length  of  traceable  pedigree.  It  is 
not  always  the  last  mating,  but  often  a  mating  sev- 
eral removes  back,  that  the  Scotch  breeders  refer  to ; 
and  he  who  remembers  this  and  subsequent  matings, 
is  likely  to  be  among  the  winners  at  the  fairs  so 
much  in  favor  with  them ;  and  if  one  looks  over  the 
premium  lists  for  many  years,  the  chances  are  he 
will  find  that  of  the  careful  breeders,  the  oldest  win 
most  frequently  when  the  competition  lies  between 
animals  bred  by  the  owners. 

These  statements  and  considerations  are  calculated 
to  impress  upon  us,  appreciation  of  the  importance  of 
a  knowledge  of  pedigree.  It  matters  little  whether 
we  have  a  mixed  breed,  common  cattle,  or  the  thor- 
ough-bred. The  same  need  of  regarding  the  ances- 
try exists.  If  we  would  have  much  assurance  of 
what  nature  of  cattle  we  may  have  from  our  breed- 
ing herd  ten  years  hence,  we  require  to  know  much 
of  the  ancestry  of  the  animals  that  formed  the  herd 
for  the  ten  years  past.  For  we  rely  on  the  past,  with 

2  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  of  Eng.  1850,  p.  681. 


194  IMPORTANCE    OF   PEDIGREE. 

the  present,  to  guide  us  to  the  future.  To  desire  to 
build  upon  the  present  alone,  regardless  of  the  past, 
is  as  wise  as  it  would  be  for  the  architect  to  build  his 
stone  house  without  attending  to  the  nature  of  the 
foundation  upon  which  it  is  placed. 

We  think  the  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  ancestry 
of  choice  animals  imported  from  abroad,  occasions 
the  frequent  observation,  that  their  progeny  is  inferior 
to  themselves.  The  young,  with  which  they  often 
come  laden,  may  be  superior  to  the  mother,  and  not 
uncommonly  are  of  fine  quality,  but  the  produce  of 
the  American  breeding  is  a  disappointment.  The 
valuable  imported  animal  is  thus  shorn  of  a  part 
of  his  value  when  put  into  strangers'  hands.  It  is 
therefore  rarely  the  case  that  the  much-praised  for- 
eign animal  quite  fulfils  expectations,  when  moved 
from  his  native  neighborhood  and  put  to  breeding. 
At  home,  acquaintance  with  its  pedigree,  the  animals 
that  enter  into  it,  with  their  merits,  defects,  and 
tendency  to  the  cropping  out  of  particular  traits,  is 
put  to  practical  use. 

To  realize,  in  its  fulness,  the  idea  of  a  pedigree, 
would  be  to  bring  into  array  before  us  the  living 
animals,  and  sun-portraits  of  the  deceased  ancestry. 
To  realize  the  idea  of  a  Herd  Book  in  its  fulness, 
would  require  that  there  be  introduced  in  the  volume 
the  sun-portrait  of  every  animal  named ;  and  the 
naming  of  all  animals  without  any  omission  for  many 
generations.  It  is  well  to  carry  this  ideal  in  our 
minds,  and,  rejecting  what  is  manifestly  impractica- 
ble, realize  all  we  can. 


IMPORTED  PRIZE  AYRSHIRES. 


PRIZE-TAKING  IN  SCOTLAND  A  GUABANTBB  OF  AUTHENTICITY  OP  BREED. 


Abbott's 

Alison, 

Elsie, 

Viola, 

Darling, 

Lilias, 

Yellow-haired  Laddie. 

Allan's 

Barbara  Allan, 

Boydstone, 

Conquer, 

Belle  of  Straven. 

Brodie's 

Lady  Douglas, 

Lady  Kilburnie. 

Gibb's 

Annie, 

Lily  2d, 

Princess  Alice, 

Blooming  Daisy, 

Medora, 

Princess  Royal, 

Clannda, 

May  Morn, 

Park  2d, 

Derby, 

May  Belle, 

Rossie, 

Heather  Belle, 

Miss  Meikle, 

Heather  Bloom, 

Mars, 

' 

Lady  Avondale. 

Gibson's 

Edith. 

Hu'igerford,  Rrodi 

if  Co.'* 

Ayrshire  Lass, 

Lady  Ayr, 

Red  Rose. 

Logan's 

Greig. 

Morgan's 

Adino, 

Georgie, 

Model  of  Perfect  on, 

Annie, 

Habbie  Simpson, 

Sea  Bird. 

miler's 

Daisy, 

Favorite. 

Paterson's 

Beauty, 

Lord  Raglan, 

Geordie. 

Peckhnm's 

Highland  Maid, 

Sally, 

Village  Belle. 

Peters' 

Brenda, 

Jean  Armour, 

Queen  2d, 

Duchess  2d, 

King  Coil, 

Rosa, 

Harold  (formerly  Merry  ton  3d, 

Young  Merryton  2d. 

Dr.  Hornbook), 

Sturtevant's 

Domine, 

Eos, 

Mona, 

Druhilla, 

Glengarry, 

Ops, 

Edna, 

Mains, 

Selena, 

Thompson's 

Annie, 

Duchess, 

Rassie  2d, 

Crown  Prince, 

Highland  Chief, 

Rassie  3d, 

Diamond. 

Whitney's 

Barrochan  Maid, 

Flora, 

Nettie, 

Bessie  Belle, 

Jock, 

Rassie, 

Bonnie  Lassie. 

Walcott  $  CampbeW  s 

Lady  Clyde, 

Rob  Roy, 

White  Lily, 

Lady  Glasgow. 

1  This  list  includes  animals  imported  in  dam  from  prize-taking  parents.  Prob- 
ably a  large  proportion  of  imported  Ayrshire^  have  taken  prizes  at  some  of  the 
numerous  Scotch  fairs. 


WOOD-CUTS   OP   IMPORTED   ANIMALS. 


ALTHOUGH  the  ordinary  wood-cut  of  this  animal 
usually  conceals  defective  parts,  and  brings  into 
undue  prominence  those  forms  which  are  deemed 
desirable,  yet  a  study  of  these  pictures  brings  to 
the  mind  an  accurate  idea  of  the  shapes  considered 
Ayrshire,  by  the  artist  at  least,  and  a  series  of  the 
same  artist's  pictures  are  accurate  enough  to  be  com- 
parable with  each  other.  The  distribution  of  color  is 
accurate,  and  this  is  something.  These  figures,  then, 
if  wooden  in  their  look,  and  showing  the  animal  in 
the  best  position,  and  under  the  most  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, and  if  even  exaggerated  in  parts,  are  of 
assistance  to  the  breeder  who  brings  to  his  work  the 
preparation  of  study  and  reflection. 

The  following  table  of  cuts  of  imported  animals, 
although  far  from  complete,  yet  may  be  of  service. 

Albert.    Ag.  of  Mass.  1861,  p.  21. 

Ayr.    Trans.  K  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1849,  p.  84. 

Baldy.  Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1867,  Part  I,  p.  35.  Trans.  Vt.  Dai- 
ryman's Association,  1869-70. 

Barrochan  Maid.  A.  H.  B.  p.  89.  Trans.  Yt.  Dairyman's  Associ- 
ation, 1870-1. 

Bonnie  Lassie.    A.  H.  B.  p.  100. 

Champion.     Count.  Gent.,  Sept.  12,  1872. 

Cocksey.    Count.  Gent.,  Oct.  3,  1873. 

Daisy.    Count.  Gent.,  Nov.  14,  1X72. 

Dandy.    Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1849,  p.  85. 


WOOD-CUTS.  197 

Flora.     Count.  Gent ,  June  11,  1874. 
Geordie.     Farmer's  Lib.  ii,  385. 
Georgie.    Ag.  of  Mass.  1873-4.     Ag.  of  Me.  1873. 
Habbie  Simpson.    A.  H.  B.  p.  41. 
Harold.     Dept.  Ag.  Kept.  1863,  p.  194. 
Handsome  If  ell.    Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  1868,  p.  182. 
Jean  Armour.    Ag.  of  Me.  1862,  p.  61. 
Jessie.    Ag.  of  Mass.  1861,  p.  15. 
Jock.    A.  H.  B.,  bet.  Vols.  II  and  III. 
Lady ^yr.     Trans.  N.  Y.  Ag.  Soc.  I860,  p.  143. 
Lady  Kilbirnie.    Trans.  Vt.  Dairyman's  Association,  1871-2. 
Mars.     A.  H.  B.  p.  56. 
Medora.     A.  H.  B.  p.  177. 
Miss  Miller.     Dept.  Ag.  Kept.  1863,  p.  196. 

Model  of  Perfection.    Trans.  Vt.  Dairyman's  Association,  1871-2. 
A.  H.  B.  p.  181. 
Netty. 

Robbie  Sums.    A.  H.  B.  p.  67. 
Rosie. 

Rossie.    A.  H.  B.  p.  204. 

Tibbie.    Trans.  Vt.  Dairyman's  Association,  1869-70. 
Village  Maid.    Count.  Gent.,  June  19,  1873. 


PEDIGREES  OP  IMPORTED  ANIMALS. 


(HELIOTYPE.  ) 
PRIDE   OF  THE   HILLS. 

Calved  May  7,  1871.  Owned  by  John  S.  Holden, 
Belleville,  Out. 

Imported  in  dam  Barrochan  Maid  by  N.  S.  Whit- 
ney, Montreal,  P.  Q.,  in  September,  1870. 

Barrochan  Maid  was  bred  by  J.  Holme,  Japstone, 
Neilston,  Scotland. 

She  gained  the  Silver  Challenge  Cup,  valued  at 
£25,  at  STIRLING,  open  to  all  Scotland,  as  the  best 
Ayrshire,  and  the  first  prize  at  KILBRIDE,  and  Silver 
Medal  for  the  best  cow  of  all  the  prize  cows. 

(HELIOTYPE.    PHOTOGRAPH  OF  A  PHOTOGRAPH.) 

LADY  KILBIRNIE. 

Owned  by  Sturtevant  Bros.,  S.  Framingham,  Mass. 
Bred  by  Robert  Orr,  Kilbirnie,  Scotland  ;  imported 
by  James  Brodie,  Rural  Hill,  N.  Y.,  in  May,  1871. 

GEORGIE. 

Calved  spring  of  1866. 

Owned  by  Sturtevant  Bros.,  S.  Framingham,  Mass. 
Bred  by  James  Wilson,  Boghall,  Houston,  Ren- 
frewshire, Scotland. 


200          PEDIGREES    OF   ILLUSTRATED   ANIMALS. 

Imported  by  J.  N.  Morgan,  Ogdeusbnrg,  N.  Y., 
in  April,  1871. 

Georgie,  when  a  two-year-old,  was  first  at  HOUS- 
TON ;  likewise  gained  medal  for  best  co\v  in  the  yard, 
beating  Barrochan  Maid.  When  four,  gained  first 
prize  at  HOUSTON,  likewise  medal  for  best  cow  in 
the  yard,  and  at  KENFREWSHIRE  COUNTY  SHOW,  she 
was  again  first,  again  beating  Barrochau  Maid. 

MODEL  OF  PERFECTION. 

Calved  in  spring  of  1865. 

Bred  by  Robert  Wilson,  Kilbarchan,  Scotland. 

Imported  by  J.  H.  Morgan,  Ogdeusburg,  N.  Y., 
in  July,  1870. 

Owned  by  Sturtevant  Bros.,  South  Framingham, 
Mass. 

In  1869,  after  calving,  she  carried  two  first  prizes 
at  GLASGOW,  amounting  to  £20,  and  a  silver  medal ; 
likewise  carried  EAST  KILBRIDE,  first  prize,  and  when 
nearly  three  months  calved,  was  third  at  HIGHLAND 
SOCIETY.  Before  calving  she  was  second  at  MAY- 
HILL,  first  at  BARRHEAD,  and  first  at  HAMILTON.  The 
previous  year,  when  three  years  old,  she  stood  sec- 
ond at  GLASGOW  for  cows  of  any  age  ;  at  EAST  KIL- 
BRIDE she  stood  first  as  a  three-years-old  in  milk, 
etc.  etc. 


APPENDIX. 


MILK: 

ITS  FORMATION  AND  PECULIARITIES, 

TTITH  ESPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO 

THE  AYRSHIRE,  JERSEY,  AND  DUTCH  COW. 

BY 

E.  LEWIS  STURTEVANT,   M.  D. 


AYRSHIRE,  JERSEY,  AND  DUTCH  MILKS : 

THEIR  FORMATION  AND  PECULIARITIES. 


THE  philosophy  of  breeding  teaches  that  every 
observed  effect  must  have  been  preceded  by  an  ade- 
quate cause,  and  that  intelligence  and  skilled  ob- 
servation may  enable  our  reason  to  trace  out  the 
sequences  which  connect  the  one  with  the  other  with 
such  exactitude  as  is  permissible  to  our  knowledge. 
It  also  teaches  that  inheritance  is  a  form  of  force  as 
uniform  in  its  action,  and  as  invariable,  as  is  the  force 
of  gravity.  Like  gravity,  its  action  is  modified  and 
interfered  with  by  opposing  forces,  which  disguise 
oftentimes  its  phenomena.  As  gravity  acts  alike  on 
the  feather  and  the  bullet,  so  does  inheritance  act 
alike  on  all  animals.  In  vitality  we  have  such  a 
complexity  of  phenomena,  that  a  right  interpretation 
is  oftentimes  difficult,  if  not  impossible ;  yet  the 
grand  law  of  inheritance,  the  transmissal  of  qualities 
possessed  by  ancestors,  may  be  disguised  in  indi- 
viduals, but  cannot  be  denied  to  the  race. 

It  is  to  this  universal  law  of  inheritance,  as  modi- 
fied by  other  laws,  —  the  resultant  of  whose  forces  is 
the  animal  form ,  —  that  we  are  to  seek  the  explana- 
tion of  the  variations  that  occur  between  members  of 
the  same  species,  breed,  families,  and  individuals. 


204  INHERITANCE. 

Those  features  of  animal  form  that  are  readily 
cognizable,  are  usually  more  changed  through  the 
breeder's  art,  than  other  features  which  are  not  so 
readily  noted.  Consequently,  the  grazing  breeds 
have  been  brought  to  a  greater  uniformity  and  per- 
fection, than  have  the  dairy  breeds,  as  the  changes 
to  be  desired  have  been  more  clearly  indicated  in 
the  beginning,  and  recognized  in  the  achievement. 
Changes  in  the  dairy  breeds  are  to  be  understand- 
ingly  brought  about  by  breeders  and  farmers,  who 
have  a  practical  belief  in  the  universality  of  law,  — 
that  inheritance  of  form  is  not  more  important  in 
modifying  the  shape  of  body  than  it  is  in  determining 
the  product  from  the  animal. 

Whether  a  cow's  milk  is  better  fitted  for  the  mak- 
ing of  butter  or  cheese,  or  for  any  other  purpose,  is 
largely  determined  by  inheritance ;  as  is  also  the 
amount  she  will  give,  the  manner  in  which  she  will 
give  it,  the  economy  with  which  she  will  produce  it 
from  her  food,  and  the  effect  of  the  production  upon 
the  health  of  the  animal. 

Milk  is  the  product  of  the  mammary  gland,  and  is 
a  fluid  intended  for  the  nourishment  of  the  infant 
animal.  It  contains,  therefore,  all  the  elements 
needed  for  development  and  growth,  and,  chemi- 
cally, is  thus  a  perfect  food. 

The  milk-glands,  whose  mammae  or  teats  furnish 
the  name  to  the  class  Mammalia  of  naturalists,  are 
four  in  number,  in  the  cow,  and,  united  by  envelop- 
ing tissues,  form  the  vessel  called  the  udder.  This 
organ  occupies  the  posterior  portion  of  the  abdomen, 


UDDER   GLANDS.  205 

bounded  laterally  by  the  thighs,  and  varies  somewhat 
in  shape,  according  to  the  breed  or  individual  dif- 
ference. 

In  the  Ayrshire  cow  the  glands  of  the  udder  are 
flattened,  and  held  close  to  the  body  by  a  fibrous,  and 
in  part  elastic  tissue.  The  teats  are  small,  cylindri- 
cal, and  set  wide  apart.  The  teats  are  prolongation 
of  the  gland  structure,  in  order  to  form  an  outlet  for 
the  secretion.  As  the  gland  is  flattened,  the  affinity 
seemingly  required  by  structure  is,  that  the  teat 
should  be  rather  short  and  flattened,  that  is,  cylindri- 
cal rather  than  cone-shaped.  In  the  Jersey  breed 
the  glands  of  the  udder  are  pointed  and  the  teats 
are  cone-shaped.  They  partake  in  form  of  the  elon- 
gation of  the  glaud.  The  glands  are  not  held  as 
close  to  the  body  as  in  the  Ayrshire,  but  are  pendent. 
The  glands  are  seldom  of  equal  size,  the  anterior  ones 
often  displaying  a  tendency  towards  extreme  diminu- 
tion, and  the  teats  hang  closely  together.  The  Ameri- 
can Holstein  cattle  —  those  large  black  and  white  cat- 
tle from  Holland —  have  an  elongated  udder.  There 
seems  a  hereditary  want  of  tone  in  the  tissues,  as  it 
is  usually  quite  pendent.  The  glands  are  elongated, 
and  in  turn  the  teats  are  elongated  cones. 

The  outer  covering  of  the  udder  is  composed  of 
skin  similar  to  that  covering  the  body,  but  more  thin 
and  pliable,  and  is  covered  more  or  less  with  a  fine 
hair  of  considerable  length.  Its  interior  structure 
comprises  areolar  tissue,  and  white  fibrous  and  yel- 
low fibrous  tissue,  which  not  only  form  septa  between 
the  glands,  and  connect  the  lobes,  but  also  envelop 


206  TJDDER    GLANDS. 

the  glands,  holding  them  in  position,  and,  by  their 
elasticity  and  firmness,  acting  an  important  part  in  an 
organ  subject  to  such  violent  changes  of  size.  Fatty 
tissue  occurs  near  the  surface  of  the  glands,  and 
between  their  interstices,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent ; 
and  in  the  virgin  heifer  largely  determines  the  form 
and  size  of  the  bag. 

The  teats,  usually  projecting  slightly  forward  in 
the  heifer,  are  likewise  covered  with  a  skin  similar  to 
that  of  the  udder,  but  uncovered  with  hair,  pliant, 
flexible,  and  creased.  Their  number  corresponds  to 
that  of  the  glands,  and  they  are  interesting  as  form- 
ing the  outlet  for  the  secretion,  as  well  as  their 
mechanical  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  the  calf.  Their 
structure  is  an  areolar  and  fibrous  tissue  beneath  the 
skin,  which,  by  its  elasticity,  closes  the  outlet  and 
prevents  the  escape  of  the  milk.  Sebaceous  glands 
are  present,  particularly  at  the  base,  and  their 
secretion  renders  the  surface  soft,  and  less  subject 
to  injury. 

The  gland  portion  consists  of  ducts,  reservoirs, 
glandules,  and  connective  matter.  The  reservoirs 
are  situated  mostly  at  the  periphery  and  apex  of  the 
gland,  and  more  particularly  adjacent  to  the  sides 
covered  by  the  skin  of  the  animal.  It  is  the  reser- 
voirs which  cause  the  tabulated  feel  of  the  surface 
of  the  udder,  in  large  part,  and  they  serve  to  enclose 
the  secreting  surface,  which  principally  occupies  the 
centre.  The  glandules  or  vesicles,  in  their  arrange- 
ment, form  groups,  and  each  group  has  its  duct, 
which  connects  with  the  ducts  from  other  groups, 


HISTOLOGY.  207 

and  thus  the  secretion  is  passed  towards  the  main 
ducts,  which  serve  to  store  and  transmit  what  they 
receive.  There  is  this  peculiarity  about  the  lactif- 
erous ducts  :  they  are  not  strictly  uniform  in  size 
throughout,  nor  do  they  lessen  or  increase  in  size  by 
regular  gradation,  but,  slightly  contracted  at  their 
inlet  and  outlet,  have  a  bulge  between,  —  thus,  in 
form,  a  series  of  saccular  cavities.  The  ducts  and 
reservoirs  are  thus,  in  one  sense,  the  same.  The 
constricted  portion  of  the  reservoirs  is  formed  of 
elastic  tissue,  which  underlies  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  the  ducts.  Thus,  by  the  retardation  of  the 
milk,  as  it  passes  from  the  vesicles,  where  it  is  man- 
ufactured, towards  the  teat,  its  outlet,  the  pressure 
of  the  accumulated  quantity  is  equalized  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  throughout  the  gland.  These  ducts  and 
pouches  are  lined  by  a  vascular  mucous  membrane. 
On  the  exposed  surface  of  the  mucous  membrane  is 
a  thin  covering  of  tessellated  epithelium  to  defend  it 
from  injury.  As  we  reach  the  coecal  extremity  of 
the  system  we  are  describing,  we  observe  the  epi- 
thelium changing  its  character  on  the  edge  of  the 
glandules  or  vesicles.  The  vesicle  itself  is  lined 
with  cells,  which  differ  in  size.  These  cells  are  the 
secreting  portion  of  the  gland,  and  by  their  own 
increase  and  casting  off  are  themselves  the  morpho- 
logical portion  of  the  milk,  the  fat  globule.  These 
acini  are  surrounded  by  a  net-work  of  capillaries, 
which  form  a  rete  or  net  on  their  surface,  and  furnish 
the  blood  for  the  use  of  these  organs.  Under  the 
stimulus  of  abundant  supply  of  force  from  this  blood, 


208  FORMATION   OF   MILK  GLOBULE. 

these  cells  grow,  and  by  a  species  of  budding  or  pro- 
liferation, accompanied,  it  may  be,  by  a  species  of 
fatty  degeneration  in  their  contents,  the  old  cell  is 
cast  off  to  appear  as  the  milk  globule,  while  the  new 
cell  takes  its  place. 

The  milk  globule  is  consequently  formed  from  the 
animal ;  nay  more,  was,  up  to  the  moment  of  sepa- 
ration, a  portion  of  the  animal,  subject  to  whatever 
changes  may  have  been  impressed  upon  it  by  its 
position,  and  formed  through,  and  subject  to,  what- 
soever changes  may  have  affected  it  through  its  rela- 
tion with  the  animal,  as  those  arising  from  inheri- 
tance and  environment.  There  is  this  difference, 
however,  between  these  cells  and  the  milk  globule : 
In  the  one  case,  a  portion  of  the  animal,  they  are 
subject  to  changes  impressed  by  the  animal ;  in  the 
other  case,  free  from  the  animal,  simply  stored  in 
the  udder,  they  can  receive  none  of  these  changes ; 
they  are  as  independent  of  their  parent  cells  as 
when  they  are  placed  in  the  milk-pail. 

According  to  Striker,  fat  globules  may  be  detected 
in  the  acini  of 'women  who  have  died  from  puerperal 
fever.  From  careful  observations  on  the  acini  from 
the  gland  of  the  cow's  udder,  we  have  been  unable 
to  detect  separate  fat  globules  in  any  one  instance. 
We  can  say,  however,  with  considerable  confidence, 
that  the  cells  from  the  acini,  when  detached,  can  in 
nowise  be  distinguished  from  the  globule  of  milk 
from  the  same  udder. 

"We  will  now  allude  to  the  uniformity  of  the  plan 
observed  in  nature,  the  production  of  different  re- 
in 


STRUCTURAL    AFFINITIES.  209 

suits,  rather  by  modifying  parts  already  formed  than 
by  creating  anew. 

The  mucous  membranes  may  be  considered  as  in- 
ternal prolongations  of  the  skin.  The  cells  of  the 
cuticle  of  the  skin  are  colorless  and  flattened,  often 
wrinkled  and  folded,  and  correspond  to  the  pave- 
ment or  tessellated  epithelium  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane. Subjacent  to  the  epithelium  or  epidermis, 
there  occurs  a  structureless  basement  membrane, 
which  can  rarely  be  demonstrated  on  account  of  its 
extreme  tenuity.  The  third  layer  of  the  mucous 
membrane,  corresponding  to  the  cutis  vera  of  the 
skin,  is  also  composed  of  areolar  and  elastic  tissues, 
and  in  both  is  highly  vascular,  and  furnished  with 
papillce  or  villi.  These  three  structures  in  both  are 
supported  by  a  layer  of  lax  tissue,  in  which  the 
areoloe  frequently  contain  fat. 

Glands  themselves  are  of  an  epithelial  nature,  and 
are  but  adjuncts  of  the  skin.  As  Virchow  explains 
it,  an  epithelial  cell  begins  to  divide,  and  goes  on 
dividing  again  and  again,  until  by  degrees  a  little 
process  composed  of  cells  grows  inward,  and  spread- 
ing out  laterally  gives  rise  to  the  development  of 
a  gland,  which  thus  straightway  constitutes  a  body 
continuous  with  layers  of  cells  originally  external. 
Thus  arise  the  glands  of  the  surface  of  the  body*  the 
sudoriferous  and  sebaceous  glands  of  the  skin,  and 
the  mammary  gland. 

If,  then,  we  could  unravel  the  milk  glands,  so  as  to 
present  the  interior  surface  flat,  but  little  change  ex- 
cept th;it  of  adaptation  would  be  required  to  identify 
10* 


210  MILK. 

their  structure  with  that  of  the  skin.  This  is  an  im- 
portant observation,  as  indicating  the  simplicity  of 
method  by  which  the  purposes  of  nature  are  accom- 
plished ;  and  as  a  corollary  to  this  simplicity,  the 
effect  of  any  agency,  whether  external  or  otherwise, 
on  an  animal,  cannot  be  limited  in  its  effect  to  one 
part  only,  but  its  influences  must  be  more  or  less 
general  in  their  nature. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  examine  more  particularly 
into  the  structure  and  reactions  of  milk,  as  we  have 
seen  that,  through  its  method  of  formation,  these 
must  be  influenced  largely  by  the  structure  of  the 
animal  from  which  it  is  obtained. 

Milk  is  one  of  the  animal  fluids  which  contains  a 
morphological  element,  which  in  the  form  of  myriads 
of  minute  globules  of  mixed  fats,  enclosed  each  in  an 
enveloping  substance,  floats  at  will  in  a  fluid  com- 
posed of  sugar  of  milk,  caseine,  etc.,  in  solution. 
In  this  paper  we  shall  consider  only  this  globule, 
from  which  the  milk  derives  its  color  and  capacity, 
and  which  has  sufficiency  of  form  and  character  to  be 
influenced  by  variation  in  breed  and  environment, 
and  to  influence  itself  in  turn  the  character  of  those 
important  dairy  products,  butter  and  cheese. 

These  globules  are  of  varying  size,  some  so  small 
as  to  appear  as  granules  under  a  magnifying  power 
of  800  diameters,  others  occasionally  attaining  a  size 
of  1-1500  of  an  inch.  The  small  globules,  for  an 
increased  power  has  invariably  defined  them  as  such, 
I  shall  for  convenience  term  granules.  As  1-27000 
inch  is,  with  my  micrometer,  a  convenient  division, 


MILK   GLOBULE.  211 

I  shall  speak  of  all  globules  less  than  this  figure  as 
granules,  and  all  above  as  globules.  Every  sample 
of  milk  I  have  yet  examined  has  shown  these  gran- 
ules,1 yet  in  some  milks  much  more  abundant  than 
in  others.  In  the  skim- milk  the  granule  has  always 
been  readily  found,  even  in  those  milks  where  it  was 
nearly  absent  in  the  cream.  These  globules  being 
composed  of  various  fats,  surrounded  by  a  peUicle, 
are  intimately  mixed  with  the  milk  as  it  comes  from 
the  cow ;  but  their  position  soon  becomes  changed  as 
they  come  under  the  influence  of  gravity,  and  they 
rise  to  the  surface  of  the  milk  to  form  cream.  As 
the  weight  to  the  covering  of  the  fat  globules,  which 
is  heavier  than  water,  increases  proportionately  to 
the  volume  of  fat  as  the  sphere  is  diminished  in 
diameter,  the  various  globules  show  difference  in 
physical  action.  When  the  weight  of  the  ^covering 
is  just  or  nearly  sufficient  to  balance  the  low  specific 
gravity  of  the  fats,  the  globules  remain  nearly  sta- 
tionary in  the  fluid ;  when,  however,  the  globule  is 
large,  the  specific  gravity  of  the  mass  is  so  much 
less  than  that  of  the  fluid  in  which  it  occurs  that  it 
speedily  reaches  the  surface.  It  therefore  follows 
that  the  upper  layer  of  the  cream  is  composed  of 
larger  globules  than  the  lower  layer;  or,  giving 
expression  to  a  general  fact,  the  further  you  go  from 
the  surface  of  milk  which  has  been  at  rest,  the 
smaller  the  milk  globule. 

1  That  ray  conclusions  may  not  seem  to  have  been  derived  without  study,  I 
wish  to  say  h.-re  that  January  21,  1873, 1  found  recorded  in  my  note-book  consid- 
erations involving  the  recognition  of  9tj23  milk  globules;  and  since  that  date 
many  additional  observations  have  been  made.  E.  L.  S.,  October  15,  1874. 


212        MILK  GLOBULE  AS  AFFECTED  BY  GRAVITY. 

EXPERIMENT  I. 

Three  drops  of  milk  were  taken  from  a  vessel  con- 
taining milk  which  had  been  undisturbed  for  fourteen 
hours  :  2  — 

1st  drop.    Top  layer  cream Average  size  of  globule,  6120". 

2d      "        Lower  layer  cream Average  size  of  globule,  6640". 

3d      "        Six  inches  below  surface  . . .  .Average  size  of  globule,  8260". 

Should  the  globules  which  occur  at  these  different 
depths  be  churned,  it  would  be  found  that  the  differ- 
ent layers  would  require  a  greater  or  less  exposure 
to  the  churning  action  to  produce  butter,  and  the 
butter  would  vary  somewhat  in  quality  in  each  churn- 
ing. This  may  be  readily  verified  by  skimming  a 
vessel  of  milk  at  intervals,  and  churning  the  cream 
of  each  skimming  by  itself. 

The  process  of  churning  consists  in  breaking  the 
covering  "of  the  milk  globule  and  collecting  the  re- 
leased fat  into  lumps.  This  breakage  seems  usually 
to  occur  through  friction ;  and  the  ease  with  which 
it  occurs  is  determined  in  part  by  the  toughness 
of  the  investment,  and  in  part  by  the  size  of  the 
globules. 

In  general,  the  time  required  for  churning  milk  or 
cream  from  the  same  breed,  into  butter,  has  a  close 
relation  to  the  size  of  the  globule. 

EXPERIMENT  II. 

Three  Jersey  cows,  on  similar  feed,  yielding  same 
amount  of  milk.  The  milk  of  the  same  milking,  set 

The  sign  "  signifies  ths  of  an  inch  To  illustra  e :  these  figures  are  to  bo 
read  l-6120th  of  au  inch,  1 -6640th  of  an  inch,  etc. 


GLOBULE    VERSUS    CHURNING.  213 

on  the  same  shelf,  and  the  cream  churned  as  nearly 
as  possible  at  the  same  sime,  by  stirring  in  a  pitcher 
with  a  spoon  :  — 

Name  of  Cow.  Average  size  of  globule.  Time  of  churning. 

Desdemona 4440" 13  minutes. 

Gazelle 5260" 30        " 

Beatrice , 5520" 34        " 

EXPERIMENT  III. 

The  milk,  except  when  otherwise  stated,  was  in 
this  experiment  fresh  from  the  cow,  and  cooled  to 
60°  by  immersing  the  Florence  flask,  used  as  a 
churn,  in  cold  water  :  — 

Average  size  of  globule.  Time  churned.        Butter  first  showed. 

5680"  (cream)    3  minutes — 

594G" 8        "       5  minuteg. 

6708" 25        "       15 

8252"  (churned  with  egg-beater) .  .50        "       36        " 

8320'    60        "       

Having  established  the  fact  that  the  size  of  the 
globules  determine  some  of  the  reactions  in  the 
churn,  we  will  consider  the  effect  of  churning  milk 
containing  globules  of  widely  different  sizes.  When- 
ever such  trials  have  been  made  and  the  results  care- 
fully noted,  I  have  found  that  the  larger  globules 
become  divested  of  their  covering  first ;  and  often- 
times, 1  suspect,  being  overchurned,  hinder  the  same 
process  going  on  with  the  same  facility  for  the  rup- 
turing of  the  smaller  globules.  The  overchurning 
of  butter  destroys  the  grain,  or  the  natural  form  in 
which  the  butter  is  contained  in  its  investing  cover- 
ing, and  pressing  out  the  oleine,  as  I  conjecture, 
furnishes  to  the  fluid  this  oil  in  emulsion,  which 


214  GLOBULE   VERSUS   CHURNING. 

decreases  the  friction  to  which  the  globules  are  sub- 
jected in  the  process  of  separating  butter.  The  but- 
ter product  is  thus,  theoretically  at  least,  diminished^ 
and  its  churning  retarded. 

EXPERIMENT  IV. 

Carefully  measured  16  fluid  ounces  of  milk  fresh 
from  the  cow  and  cooled  to  60°.  After  twenty  min- 
utes' churning,  the  butter  was  collected  by  straining 
the  fluid  through  fine  linen.  The  amount,  57  grains, 
or  a  proportion  of  one  pound  of  butter  to  about  60 
quarts  of  milk.  The  next  day  churned  the  butter- 
milk. After  an  hour  and  a  quarter's  agitation,  211 
grains  of  butter  were  collected. 

This  milk  threw  up  twelve  per  cent  of  cream,  and 
was  therefore  of  good  average  quality,  as  was  also 
indicated  by  the  butter  proportion  of  one  pound  of 
butter  to  about  thirteen  quarts  of  milk. 

We  must  seek  an  explanation  of  this  experiment 
in  the  physical  reaction  of  the  globules. 

Average  of  ten  measurements  of  the  globules  oc- 
curring in  a  line  1-100  inch  in  length :  — 

Top  layer  of  Cream.  Lower  layer  of  Cream. 

6345" 8180" 

6300" 6390" 

6255" 8505" 

6480" 8100" 

6010" 7155" 

The  granules  in  the  lower  layer  were  very  numer- 
ous, but  not  considered  in  forming  our  averages. 

The  impression  gained  on  observing  this  milk 
microscopically  was  a  great  variation  in  sizes  of 


GLOBULE  AS  AFFECTED  BY  CALVING.     215 

globules,  so  much  so  as  to  suggest  a  division  into 
two  classes,  as  if  two  different  globuled  milks  had 
been  mixed. 

If  the  measurement  of  100  globules  of  the  cream 
may  be  taken  as  giving  an  indication  of  an  average, 
we  had  24  globules  larger  than  6750",  and  76 
globules  of  that  size  and  smaller,  —  a  proportion  of 
about  1  to  3.  The  proportion  of  butter  in  the  re- 
sults of  the  two  churnings  was  about  1  to  3J,  a  cor- 
respondence sufficiently  close  to  be  suggestive,  and, 
taken  in  consideration  along  with  the  microscopic 
investigation  of  the  butter-milk,  offers  the  explana- 
tion that  the  larger  globules  principally  furnished 
the  butter  of  the  first  churning,  while  the  smaller 
globules  were  the  principal  factors  in  producing  the 
butter  in  the  second  churning. 

The  experiment  can  be  verified  in  a  very  simple 
way  by  shaking  some  milk  in  a  clean  white  glass 
bottle.  After  a  short  time  specks  of  butter  will  be 
seen  adhering  to  the  glass,  the  product  of  the  break- 
ing of  the  large  globules,  while  it  may  be  a  long 
time  before  the  butter  will  appear  in  the  ordinary 
acceptance  of  practice. 

Another  consideration  in  the  study  of  the  globule 
is  the  effect  of  the  distance  of  the  cow  from  calving, 
on  the  size.  As  a  constant  result  with  me,  the  fur- 
ther from  calving  the  smaller  the  globule,  and  I 
think  the  more  uniform  the  sizes. 

EXPERIMENT  V. 

The  milk  of  the  same  cow  at  various  periods  from 
calving :  — 


216  GLOBULE   AS   AFFECTED   BY   CALVING. 

Days  from  calving. . .  .!£          Average  size  of  globule. . .  .4400" 

"       ....3i  "  "  "      ....4666" 

11        "          "       ....33  "  "  "       ....6000" 

EXPERIMENT  VI. 

Three  cows  of  the  same  herd,  and  under  the  same 
treatment.  The  trial  was  made  with  milk  of  the 
same  milking,  treated  alike  :  — 

No.  1.    Days  from  calving,  15.    Average  size  of  globules,  4440" 
"   2.         "  "  27.  "          "  "          5260" 

"   3.        "  "  40.  "          "  "          5520" 

No.  3  had  a  great  uniformity  of  globule,  and  very 
few  granules.  Except  for  the  granules,  No.  1  had 
been  as  uniform.  That  the  "feed"  did  not  probably 
affect  the  experiment  unfavorably  in  this  case,  I  give 
below  not  only  the  food  but  the  proportion  of  butter 
to  milk. 

Butter  to  Milk. 

No.  1.    Pasture  and  J  qt.  oil  meal,  about  2  or  3  qts.  shorts,  1  Ib.  23.23  Ibs. 
"   2.    Pasture  and  3  qts.  oil  meal,  3  qts.  shorts,  Iqt.  oats,  1  "  23.27    " 
"  3.    Pasture  and  }  qt.  oil  meal,  about  2  to  3  qts.  shorts,  1  "  17.77   " 

EXPERIMENT  VII. 

Milk  of  different  cows,  but  of  the  same  breed. 
Measurements  taken  at  different  times,  and  under 
varying  conditions  of  food,  etc.  The  sequences  are 
not  therefore  as  regular  as  in  the  Experiments  V 
and  VI. 

Days  from  calving,    1£ 4935" 

3J 4718' 

12 5580" 

33 6384" 

6  J 5400" 

133 6040" 

375 6339" 


^GLOBULE  VERSUS  GRAIN  OF  BUTTER.     217 

By  including  some  measurements  which  were  taken 
from  the  lower  layer  of  cream,  and  not  incorporated 
in  the  above  table,  we  have  additional  illustration. 

Days  from  calving,    !£...., 4580" 

"  "  33 6200" 

"  "  69 6750" 

"  "  135 6720" 

11  375 7660" 

The  size  and  appearance  of  these  globules  is  varied, 
as  I  believe,  by  the  feed  of  the  cow,  and  certainly, 
to  a  considerable  extent,  by  her  condition.  That 
their  size  has  a  connection  with  the  grain  of  the  but- 
ter, it  is  in  the  power  of  any  one  to  convince  himself 
by  direct  experiment.  The  larger-globuled  breeds 
furnish  butter  of  a  stronger  grain  than  do  the  smaller- 
globuled  breeds,  and  the  first  rising  from  the  milk- 
pan  yields  also  a  stronger-grained  butter  than  does 
the  succeeding  risings. 

When  a  cow  gets  out  of  condition  she  oftentimes 
falls  away  in  her  milk  very  rapidly,  and  a  microscopic 
examination  of  her  rnilk  may  show  the  presence  of 
colostrum  corpuscles.  In  order  to  understand  the 
signification  of  this  fact,  it  is  necessary  to  know  what 
colostrum  is. 

Writers  upon  milk  have  made  statements  of  wide 
discrepancy.  Dr.  Bird  3  states  that  the  colostrum  of 
the  cow  is  yellow,  mucilaginous,  and  occasionally 
mixed  with  blood ;  it  contains  but  mere  traces  of 
butter  or  other  fat,  and  appears  to  contain  albumen 
as  one  of  its  ingredients.  This  secretion  does  not 

8  Cooper,  Anat.  of  the  Breast,  p.  124. 


218  COLOSTRUM. 

turn  sour  like  milk,  but  readily  putrefies.  According 
to  Stiptrian,  Luiscius,  and  Boudt,4  however,  the 
colostrum  from  the  cow  yields  11.7  per  cent  of  cream, 
3  of  butter,  and  18.75  of  cheese.  Thomson5  states 
that  colostrum  when  churned  gives  a  very  yellow  but- 
ter, which,  when  heated,  emits  a  smell  similar  to  the 
white  of  an  egg.  Heine  and  Chevalier6  give  15.1 
per  cent  of  casein,  2.6  of  butter,  and  2.0  of  mucus. 
According  to  Lehman,7  the  colostrum  is  richer  in  fat 
than  the  corresponding  milk.  In  the  analysis  by 
Boussingault,8  mention  is  made  of  3.6  per  cent  of 
sugar  of  milk,  —  a  substance  entirely  unmentioned 
by  Heine  and  Chevalier,  and  the  other  authorities 
we  have  quoted  above. 

According  to  Beale,9  colostrum  contains  many  large 
cells,  consisting  of  an  investing  membrane  filled  with 
oil  globules  resembling  those  which  are  floating  free 
in  the  surrounding  fluid.  Donne10  states  the  colos- 
trum corpuscle  to  be  made  up  of  small  granules, 
united  together  or  enclosed  in  a  transparent  envelop. 
He  says  they  disappear  in  ether,  and  that  he  traced 
these  globules  in  milk  secreted  twenty  days  after  par- 
turition. M.  Guterbock10  has  also  observed  these 
compound  globules,  and  says  he  could  detect  the 
transparent  membrane  after  the  ether  had  dissolved 
the  enclosed  granules.  M.  Mandl 10  has  not  been 
able  to  detect  these  compound  globules,  and  believes 
them  to  be  made  up  of  agglomerated  milk-globules. 


*  Cyc.  Anat.  and  Phys.  iii,  360.         *  phys.  Chem.  ii,  64. 
6  An.  Chem.  p.  435.  »  Journ.  R.  A.  S.  of  Eng.  xxiv,  301. 

«  Johnston's  Chem.  p.  535.  8  The  Microscope  in  Medicine,  p.  267. 

10  Cyc.  Anat.  and  Phys.  iii,  361- 


COLOSTRUM.  219 

Kollikcr11  thinks  the  formation  of  colostrum  the 
introduction  to  that  of  milk.  He  also  thinks  that  the 
colostrum  may  be  the  product  of  a  degeneration,  and 
thinks  that  is  in  part  derived  from  the  internal  cells 
of  the  originally  solid  rudiments,  which  are  removed. 
Virchow12  states  that  it  is  the  still  coherent  globule, 
which  results  from  the  fatty  degeneration  of  an 
epithelial  cell.  According  to  Reinhardt13  they  are 
transformations  of  the  epithelial  cells  of  the  mam- 
mary ducts,  the  result  of  a  sort  of  fatty  degeneration 
or  regressive  metamorphosis,  consequent  upon  the 
peculiar  activity  of  the  mammary  gland  during  preg- 
nancy. 

When  we  consider  the  physiological  formation  of 
the  milk-globule,  as  set  forth  in  this  paper  and  else- 
where 14  by  the  writer,  the  relations  of  the  colostrum 
corpuscle  to  the  milk  will  be  readily  noted.  In  the 
earlier  stages  of  lactation,  and  before  parturition,  the 
process  of  the  casting  forth  of  these  milk-cells  is 
not  perhaps  so  complete  as  at  a  later  stage.  We 
have  at  first  a  tardiness  or  lack  of  co-ordination  of 
action  between  the  different  cells  ;  action  stimulated 
by  the  uterine  function  is  with  cells  which  have  been 
for  a  long  time  stationary  or  in  partial  rest.  There- 
fore, through  an  imperfection  of  process,  groups  of 
cells  from  the  same  vesicle  are  forced  off  in  mass  be- 
fore they  are  ready  to  become  milk-globules.  When 
lactation  commences  the  whole  structure  of  the  udder 

11  Human  Histology,  ii,  279. 

12  Cellular  Pathology,  p.  376. 

13  Carpenter's  Human  Phys.  p   818. 

i*  See  the  forthcoming  Prize  Essay  of  the  Nevr  York  State  Ag.  Soc.  of  1873, 
"  Milk."  Also,  Ag.  of  Mass.  1873-4,  p.  376. 


220  SPECIFIC    GRAVITY. 

glands  is  in  a  state  of  wondrous  activity.  We  have 
such  an  excess  of  action  that  cells  are  cast  off  from 
the  vesicles  prematurely,  and  tear  off  the  adjoining 
cetls  while  contact  still  exist.  The  colostrum  cor- 
puscle is  theoretically  but  a  portion  of  the  lining  of 
the  milk-vesicle,  detached  before  the  cells  have 
arrived  at  the  stage  of  the  milk-globule.  It  is  but  a 
stage  of  development  of  milk-globules.  It  may  be 
caused  by  excess  or  defect  in  nutrition,  through  any 
cause  which  may  produce  an  imperfect  develop- 
ment of  the  cells  of  the  acini.  Hence,  when  sick- 
ness overtakes  a  cow,  even  at  a  long  period  from 
calving,  colostrum  corpuscles  may  appear  in  her 
milk. 

By  careful  microscopic  observation,  I  have  been 
able  to  detect  no  difference  between  the  globules 
present  in  the  colostrum  and  the  milk-globule  pres- 
ent in  the  milk.  The  action  of  ether,  in  my  hands, 
does  not  cause  the  globules  to  disappear,  although  it 
may  have  some  action  on  the  granules.  I  sometimes 
have  noticed  a  change  produced,  without  my  being 
able  to  define  exactly  what  the  change  was. 

The  specific  gravity  of  cream  must  be  subject  to 
considerable  variation,  according  as  the  globules  vary 
in  size  and  the  thickness  of  the  investing  coating. 
As  writers  have  experimented  with  milk  from  differ- 
ent breeds  of  cows,  and  under  different  circum- 
stances, it  is  no  wonder  that  their  results  are  dis- 
cordant, but  it  is  unfortunate  that  we  do  not  have 
sufficient  particulars  to  enable  us  to  place  the  reason 
in  the  right  place. 


SPECIFIC   GRAVITY  OF   CREAM.  221 

The  specific  gravity  of  cow's  milk  is  said  to  be 
lighter  than  milk  but  denser  than  water,  by  Dr. 
Voelcker,15  who  gives  the  following  as  the  result  of 
his  trial,  and  Willard16  accepts  these  results. 

From  milk  after  standing  15  hours 1019.4  at  62° 

"  "  "        43      "     1012.7     "  62<> 

"  "  "        48      "     ....1012.9    "  620 

Letheby,  in  his  Lectures  on  Food,17  states  the  spe- 
cific gravity  at  1013,  while  Berzelius18  places  the 
specific  gravity  of  cream  at  1024.4,  the  figures  which 
are  accepted  by  Dr.  Golding  Bird.19  L.  B.  Arnold,20 
of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  states  that  cream  has  the  specific 
gravity  of  985. 

In  my  own  experiments  I  have  usually  found  that 
a  drop  of  cream,  carefully  dropped  on  rain-water, 
would  float.  It  even  floats  when  dropped  into  the 
water  from  a  height,  so  that  the  force  of  the  impact 
carries  the  drop  below  the  surface  or  spreads  it  on 
the  surface.  In  one  instance  only  have  I  known  the 
cream  to  sink  when  carefully  placed  on  the  surface  of 
rain-water. 

EXPERIMENT  VIII. 

In  one  carefully-conducted  experiment  made  with 
the  cream  from  the  surface  of  a  large  cream-jar, 
I  found  the  specific  gravity  to  be  983  at  62°  by 
weighing. 

is  Journ.  R.  A.  8.  of  Eng.  1863.  pp.  298,  317. 

is  Dairy  Husbandry,  p.  168. 

» Ibid.  p.  34. 

18  Johnson's  Farmers'  Enc.  pp.  240,  814. 

w  Cooper's  Anat.  of  the  Breast,  p  119. 

20  Am.  Dairyman's  Ass.  Trans.  1870,  p.  160. 


222  SPECIFIC   GRAVITY   OF   CREAM. 


EXPERIMENT  IX. 

A  microscopic  investigation  would  seem  to  settle 
the  question  that  some  cream  may  be  lighter,  other 
cream  heavier  than  water.  1  added  some  miik  to 
water  in  a  tall  glass  tube.  The  milk  all  fell  rapidly 
to  the  bottom,  in  a  smoky  cloud,  leaving  the  upper 
third  of  the  tube  absolutely  clear.  In  half  an  hour 
the  density  at  the  bottom  had  diffused  itself  upwards, 
in  a  regular  gradation  of  opacity,  even  to  the  top. 
Upon  examining  a  drop  from  the  surface  of  the  water, 
under  the  microscope,  globules  showed  of  quite  even 
sizes,  ranging  generally  from  6750"  to  4500"  in  diam- 
eter. A  like  examination  of  the  bottom  layer  scarcely 
showed  a  globule  larger  than  9000"  in  diameter,  yet 
two  globules  were  seen  as  large  as  6750". 

Having  now  considered  the  formation  of  milk  in 
respect  to  one  of  its  constituents,  and  treated  the 
subject  in  a  general  manner,  we  are  now  prepared  to 
examine  into  the  peculiarities  which  come  of  breed 
and  are  consequent  thereto. 

My  opportunities  have  been  limited  to  three  breeds, 
—  the  Ayrshire,  the  Jersey,  and  the  Dutch,  those 
large  black  and  white  cattle  from  Holland,  the  Amer- 
ican "Holsteins."  Although  such  differences  as  are 
to  be  discussed  are  probably  of  universal  application, 
yet  here  my  conclusions  will  be  confined  to  the  result 
of  my  own  examinations,  which  have  been  fairly 
complete  with  reference  to  the  Ayrshire  and  Jersey 
milks,  but  more  limited  with  the  Dutch. 


AYRSHIRE   MILK.  223 

The  breed  of  the  Ayrshire  cow  furnishes  a  globule 
intermediate  in  size  between  the  Jersey  and  the 
Dutch.  The  prominent  feature  of  this  milk  is  the 
numerous  granules. 


X813 

Upon  a  careful  examination  of  Ayrshire  milk,  we 
find  an  indication  of  a  division  of  the  breed  into  two 
classes,  according  as  they  have  been  bred  for  butter 
or  cheese  purposes.  When  we  examine  the  milk 
which  characterizes  the  type  of  the  two  classes,  the 
differences  are  manifest  and  the  peculiarities  are 
readily  noted ;  but  these  two  types  shade  into  each 
other  so  imperceptibly  and  gradually  —  like  two 
separate,  overlapping  clouds  —  that  the  division  line 
is  obscured.  Those  cows  which  appear  the  nearest 
to  such  a  line  may  be  grouped  as  a  third  class. 

The  typical  butter  family  of  Ayrshires  furnishes 
milk  possessing  a  globule  scarcely  infeiior  to  the  Jer- 
sey globule  in  size,  yet  the  sizes  are  more  varied,  and 
granules  present  in  abundance.  The  skim-milk  is 
not  as  blue  as  Jersey  skim-milk  on  account  of  the 
presence  of  the  granule.  The  envelop  to  the  globule 
seems  tougher  than  in  the  Jersey  globule,  and  the 


224  AYRSHIRE   MILK. 

milk  takes  a  somewhat  longer  time  to  churn.  The 
effect  of  the  acids  developed  in  the  milk  by  keeping 
also  appears  to  affect  the  churning  qualities  of  the 
milk  to  a  less  degree.  Therefore,  although  the 
Jersey  milk  may  be  skimmed,  certainly  not  later 
than  when  the  milk  commences  to  thicken  or  "  lob- 
ber"  at  the  bottom  of  the  pan,  the  Ayrshire  milk 
should  pass  considerably  beyond  this  point,  and 
develop  somewhat  more  acidity,  before  the  cream  is 
removed. 

EXPERIMENT  X. 

Average  size  of  globules,  Cream.  Churning.         Butter  came. 

Ayrshire 4666"  3$  days  old.  20  minutes. 

Jersey 5680"  Old.  3 

Ayrshire 6000"  New  milk.  25        "              15  minutes. 

Jersey 5940"  "        "  8        "               5 

In  the  new-milk  churning,  when  the  globules  of 
the  two  breeds  were  about  of  a  size,  the  Jersey  milk 
churned  much  the  quicker,  probably  on  account  of 
the  thinness  of  the  enveloping  membrane  of  the 
globules.  In  the  Jersey  cream  we  also  have  a  sim- 
ilar result,  although  the  globule  is  smaller  than  in 
the  Ayrshire  cream,  with  which  it  is  compared. 

The  butter  from  the  Ayrshire  cow  is  of  good  tex- 
ture ;  is  yellow,  often  a  deep  yellow,  but,  as  far  as 
I  have  observed,  not  possessing  the  peculiar  orange 
tinge  of  the  Jersey. 

The  typical  cheese  family  of  Ayrshires  furnishes  a 
milk  of  much  smaller  globules  and  more  numerous 
granules  than  the  butter  type  of  Ayrshire  milk.  The 
milk  throws  up  a  small  percentage  of  cream,  and  is 


MILK   FOR   CHEESE.  225 

specially  fitted  for  the  manufacture  of  cheese,  as  the 
theoretical  essential  for  the  best  result  in  cheese- 
making  is,  that  the  butter  should  be  retained  in,  and 
evenly  distributed  through  the  cheese.  When  cream 
rises,  in  the  ordinary  process  of  manufacture,  it  does 
not  again  readily  mix  with  the  milk,  but  much  of  it 
passes  off  in  the  whey.  When,  therefore,  the  milk 
is  rich  to  analysis,  but  the  cream  percentage  is  small, 
on  account  of  the  butter-globules  being  too  minute 
to  rise  very  rapidly,  or  at  all,  through  the  fluid,  then 
we  have  milk  conditioned  for  the  most  favorable 
results.  I  do  not  question  but  that,  by  the  means  of 
the  microscope,  milk  could  be  selected  which  would 
endure  reasonable  skimming,  or  that  amount  of  skim- 
ming which  could  take  place  in  ordinary  cheese- 
making,  and  yet  make  a  richer  cheese  than  another 
selected  milk,  which  might  contain  fully  as  much  fat, 
and  be  used  unskimmed. 

In  order  that  this  statement  may  be  rendered 
clearer,  let  us  see  upon  what  conditions,  in  part,  the- 
character  of  cheese  depends.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that,  if  these  observations  of  mine  are  correct, 
as  they  surely  are,  the  dairyman  deals  not  alone  with 
composition  of  milk,  but  also  with  structure,  in  the 
processes  of  either  butter  or  cheese  making. 

During  the  ripening  of  cheese  a  portion  of  the 
caseiue  or  curd  suffers  decomposition,  and  is  par- 
tially changed  into  ammonia;  the  latter,  however, 
does  not  escape,  but  combines  with  fatty  acids  pro- 
duced in  course  of  time  from  the  butter.  The  pecul- 
iar mellow  appearance  of  good  cheese,  though  due  to 
11 


226  MILK   FOE    CHEESE. 

some  extent  to  the  butter  which  it  contains,  depends 
in  a  higher  degree  upon  a  gradual  transformation 
which  the  caserne  or  curd  undergoes  in  ripening. 

Such  being  the  process,  it  is  quite  evident  that  an 
even  distribution  of  the  fatty  matter  through  the  curd, 
is  desirable,  in  order  that  each  particle  of  ammonia, 
as  set  free,  may  at  the  moment  be  in  contact  with 
the  fatty  acid  which  is  supplied  from  the  fat  globule. 
Consequently  that  milk  which  contains  the  cream  in 
a  state  of  equilibrium  throughout  the  fluid,  and  yet 
which  is  rich  by  analysis,  fulfils  best  the  desired 
conditions. 

That  the  facts  of  dairying  are  in  accordance  with 
these  views,  witness  a  few  statements.  Dr.  Voelcker 
writes  that  one  of  the  chief  tests  of  the  skill  of  the 
dairy-maid,  is  the  production  of  a  rich  tasting  and 
looking,  fine-flavored,  mellow  cheese  from  milk  not 
particularly  rich  in  cream.  That  this  can  be  done  is 
abundantly  proved  by  the  practice  of  good  makers. 
In  the  accounts  of  cheese-making  that  come  to  us 
through  the  Transactions  of  the  Cheese-Makers'  As- 
sociations, we  find  both  concordant  and  conflicting 
testimony,  which  can  only  be  rendered  concordant 
by  the  supposition  that  the  parties  reporting,  of  equal 
repute,  used  milk  of  different  characters.  Thus  some 
makers  advocate  taking  the  cream  of  one  milking  for 
the  purpose  of  butter-making,  and  deny  any  injurious 
influence  therefrom  on  the  cheese,  while  others  dep- 
recate this  course.  Many  others  think  the  cream 
may  be  profitably  removed  in  the  fall,  but  not  at 
other  times.  When  we  consider  that  the  cows  which 


AYRSHIRE   MILK   FOR   CHEESE.  227 

furnish  the  milk  to  a  factory  usually  calve  in  the 
spring,  and  that  the  milk-globule  diminishes  in  di- 
ameter with  the  time  from  calving  (see  Experiment- 
VI  and  VII),  the  reason  underlying  this  cause  may 
be  seen  to  reside  in  the  character  of  the  milk  differ- 
ing with  the  season. 

Mr.  Gardner  B.  Weeks  has  sold  from  his  creamery 
skim -mil  k  cheeses  in  quantity  at  a  price  within  a  cent 
and  a  half  a  pound,  of  the  highest  quotations  of  whole- 
milk  cheeses.  All  writers  unite  in  testifying  to  a 
loss  of  butter  in  the  whey,  and  processes  are  patented 
for  the  extraction  of  this  waste  butter  for  family  use., 
These  considerations  concerning  the  milk-globule, 
point  out  the  way  to  prevent  waste,  and  to  obfain 
full  price,  by  regulating  the  character  of  the  milk 
supplied,  or  manufacturing  in  accordance  with  the 
character  of  milk  supplied,  rather  than  other  more 
wasteful  alternatives. 

The  milk  of  the  Ayrshire  cow,  which  holds  a  mid- 
dle position  between  these  extremes,  is  well  fitted  by 
its  structure  for  either  butter  or  cheese  without  being 
equal  to  the  animal  of  the  typal  extremes  for  either 
product  alone.  The  figure  given  illustrates  the  milk 
of  cow  of  this  third  class,  as  I  have  called  it.  This 
class  of  milk  is  perhaps  the  most  predominant,  and 
is  perhaps  of  the  most  value  for  the  majority  of  farm- 
ers. It  furnishes  an  excellent  percentage  of  cream, 
—  from  12  to  19  per  cent,  in  our  experience,  —  a 
good  quality  of  butter,  and  a  skim-milk  of  excellent 
quality.  The  skim-milk  is  neither  as  blue  as  in  the 
butter  type  nor  as  white  as  in  the  cheese  type  of 


228 


JERSEY   MILK. 


cow,  but  occupies  a  medium  position,  — the  practical 
differences  between  these  three  types  of  milk  being 
the  greater  uniformity  of  constitution  of  the  milk, 
after  standing,  in  one  case  than  the  other ;  the  differ- 
ence in  the  rapidity  and  completeness  of  separation 
of  the  butter-globule,  or  cream ;  the  greater  or  less 
occurrence  of  the  granules,  or  extremely  small  glob- 
ules. 

The  milk-globule  of  the  Jersey  breed  is  larger 
than  is  the  corresponding  globule  of  the  other  breeds 
here  considered,  and  there  are  fewer  granules. 


X813 

The  envelope  to  this  globule  seems  weaker  than 
the  corresponding  envelope  in  the  other  breeds,  and 
more  readily  ruptured  in  the  churn.  (See  Experi- 
ment X.)  It  is  also  more  readily  acted  upon  by  the 
chemical  changes  induced  in  the  milk  by  time.  When 
the  old  cream  of  these  breeds  is  examined  micro- 
scopically, it  is  found  that  the  Jersey  globule  is 
more  readily  broken  or  distorted  by  pressure  than 
the  others.  Practically,  therefore,  this  milk  should 
be  skimmed  at  an  earlier  period  of  the  souring 
change  than  should  the  other  milks.  I  feel  assured, 


JERSEY  MILK   FOR   BUTTER.  229 

from  impressions  gained  from  my  own  experiments, 
that  the  Jersey  milk  should  be  skimmed  certainly  not 
later  than  when  the  milk  commences  to  thicken  or 
"lobber"  at  the  bottom  of  the  pan,  while  the  other 
milks  may  pass  considerably  beyond  this  point  with 
advantage. 

From  the  large  size  of  the  Jersey  globule,  and  the 
comparatively  small  number  of  granules,  the  Jersey 
cream  rises  with  considerable  rapidity,  and  so  com- 
pletely as  to  leave  a  very  blue  skim-milk.  I  have 
known  the  whole  of  the  cream,  in  one  sample  of 
Jersey  milk,  to  rise  to  the  surface  in  four  hours, 
but  such  rapidity  is  exceptional. 

As  the  variations  between  the  time  occupied  in 
churning,  are  determined  largely  by  the  milk-globule, 
we  find  that  the  cream  with  the  largest  globule  takes 
less  time  to  churn,  than  does  a  small-globuled  cream. 
The  size  of  the  globule  also  determines  the  grain  of 
the  butter,  while  the  breed  determines  to  a  large 
extent  the  composition.  We  hence  find  in  the  Jersey 
milk  an  aptitude  to  churn  very  quickly,  under  favor- 
able conditions,  and  the  butter  produced  to  be  of  a 
waxy  and  strong-grained  appearance.  The  butter 
is  usually,  perhaps  always,  colored  by  an  orange 
pigment,  which  seems  characteristic  to  the  breed. 
O \ving  to  this  orange  tinge  of  the  pats,  and  the 
character  of  the  substance  investing  the  globule,  the 
Jersey  cream  oftentimes  appears  yellow,  especially 
after  standing.  This  color  to  the  cream  is  not  pe- 
culiar to  the  Jersey  breed,  but  seems  more  usually 
present,  or  more  prominent  in  this  breed  than  in  the 
others. 


230  JERSEY    MILK. 

When  Jersey  butter  is  shaken  with  boiling  water, 
and  the  nitrogenous  matter  enclosed  washed  out  and 
collected,  it  is  found  to  be  much  more  abundant  than 
in  Ayrshire  butter,  and  of  a  somewhat  more  floccu- 
lent  character.  Hence,  theoretically  at  least,  Jersey 
butter  should  not  possess  "  keeping  quality  "  to  such 
an  extent  as  the  other  butters.  (See  Experiment 
XIV.) 

The  conclusions  to  be  gleaned  in  reference  to  the 
Jersey  milk  are  :  First,  that"  it  is  unfitted  for  the  re- 
tail dealer  on  account  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
cream  rises,  and  the  difficulty  of  again  mixing  this 
cream  with  the  milk  (see  Experiment  XIII),  and, 
on  account  of  the  absence  of  granules,  the  inferior 
quality  of  the  skim-milk.  Second,  that  on  account  of 
the  completeness  of  the  separation  of  the  cream,  it  is 
an  excellent  milk  for  the  butter-maker,  exhibiting 
but  little  waste,  and,  with  quick  churning  capacity, 
supplies  a  butter  of  excellent  appearance  and  quality. 
Third,  that  on  account  of  the  physical  qualities  de- 
scribed, it  is  not  an  economical  milk  for  the  cheese- 
maker.  Fourth,  from  the  presence  of  nitrogenous 
matter  in  intimate  mixture  with  the  butter,  the  indi- 
cations are  that  this  butter  is  better  fitted  for  the 
daily  sending  to  market,  than  for  the  purpose  of  win- 
ter packing. 

As  an  interesting  observation,  I  would  say  that 
from  the  following  and  other  experiments  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  a  judgment  can  be  formed 
of  the  depth  of  color  the  cow  will  give  to  her  butter 
by  the  examination  of  the  wax  secretion  in  her  ear. 


EAR  COLOR  VERSUS  BUTTER  COLOR.     231 

There  is  a  striking  resemblance  between  the  various 
glands  in  the  plan  of  their  formation ;  and  here,  if 
anywhere,  we  should,  a  priori,  expect  to  find  correla- 
tions. It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the 
wax  in  the  cow's  ear  changes  color  by  exposure  to 
the  air,  and  consequently  a  freshly- exposed  surface 
must  be  examined  in  the  use  of  this  indication.  So 
great  is  the  resemblance  between  the  ear-gland  and 
the  milk  gland,  that  in  one  case  at  least  I  have  found 
a  similarity  in  the  size  of  the  fat-globule  in  either. 

EXPERIMENT  XI. 

No.  1.  Very  yellow  in  skin 
and  ears Guernsey. .  2d  highest  colored  butter. 

No.  2.  Skin  of  udder  not  as 
yellow  as  No.  1.  Ears  as 
yellow Jersey. . .  .Highest  colored  butter. 

No.  3.  Skin  middling  yellow, 
do.  ears "  ....  Good  color  to  butter. 

No.  4>  Skin  rather  light  col- 
ored   "  ....Rather  light  colored  butter. 

No.  5.    Skin  and  ears  yellow. .     Ayrshire.  .Yellow  butter. 

No.  6.  Skin  and  ears  scarcely 
showing  color "  .  .White  butter. 

Nos.  1,  2,  3,  and  4  were  on  similar  feed,  and  the 
experimental  butter  was  made  from  the  same  milking, 
at  the  same  time.  Nos.  5  and  6  were  on  similar  feed, 
and  the  cows  were  selected  on  account  of  the  varia- 
tion in  the  color  of  the  skin.  The  effect  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  food  on  the  color  of  the  secretions  was 
well  illustrated  by  cow  No.  6,  which  usually  has 
possessed  more  color  of  skin  than  at  this  trial. 

The  melting  point  of  Jersey  butter,  as  obtained  by 


232  MELTING   POINT    OF   BUTTER. 

me,  has  varied  from  93°  to  98°,  from  different  herds 
at  the  same  season  of  the  year. 

EXPERIMENT  XII. 

No.  1  herd 98° 

No.2    " 96° 

No.3    "     940 

No.4    "     93° 

In  order  to  obtain  the  melting  point  of  butter,  'the 
best  process  that  I  have  yet  found,  is  by  the  use  of 
mercury.  Heat  a  small  plant-pot  of  sand  to  about 
120°,  and  set  in  the  sand  a  small  cup  of  mercury, 
with  the  bulb  of  a  thermometer  immersed  therein, 
and  supported  by  a  cross-bar.  Having  previously 
filled  a  section  of  a  quill  or  a  cylinder  of  paper,  open 
at  both  ends,  with  butter,  impale  on  a  needle  so  that 
the  point  of  the  needle  shall  extend  through  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch.  By  immersing  the  quill  or  cylinder 
in  the  mercury,  the  projecting  needle  keeps  the  ap- 
paratus always  at  the  same  distance  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  mercury,  and  the  butter  enclosed  in  the 
cylinder  is  subject  to  a  uniform  pressure  of  say  three 
eighths  of  an  inch  of  mercury.  The  moment  the  melt- 
ing point  of  the  butter  is  reached,  the  warm  mercury 
forces  it  out ;  it  immediately  jumps  to  the  surface, 
and  at  the  same  instant  the  observer  reads  off  the 
height  of  the  immersed  thermometer. 

Of  the  three  breeds  we  are  considering,  the  Ameri- 
can Holstein  presents  the  smallest  globule  to  its  milk. 
The  globules  are  more  uniform  in  their  size  than  in 
the  Ayrshire  milk,  and  there  are  fewer  granules. 


MILK    OF    THE    AMERICAN    HOLSTEIN   COW.        233 

The  cream,  on  account  of  the  uniformity  of  size  of 
the  globule,  rises  completely,  and  on  account  of  their 
small  size  mixes  again  with  the  skim-milk  with  consid- 
erable readiness.  The  absence  of  granules  as  a  pre- 


X813 

dominant  feature  makes  the  skim-milk  appear  blue, 
and  renders  this  milk  less  fitted  for  the  cheese-maker 
than  Ayrshire  milk.  The  quality  it  possesses  of  the 
cream  and  skim-milk  being  readily  miscible  may 
offset  in  some  degree  the  absence  of  the  granules. 

The  butter  made  from  this  milk,  so  far  as  deter- 
mined by  a  single  experiment,  was  fine  in  grain, 
light  in  color,  and  displayed  remarkable  keeping 
quality.  Perhaps  the  "  keeping"  power  is  the  direc- 
tion of  the  usefulness  of  this  breed.  My  experi- 
ments with  the  milk  of  this  cow  have,  however,  been 
of  too  limited  a  nature  to  allow  me  to  dwell  very 
particularly  on  my  results. 

We  will  now  compare  the  milk  of  the  three  breeds, 
and  summarize  in  part  our  preceding  showings. 

EXPERIMENT  XIII. 

Milk  from  6ach  of  the  three  breeds  was  placed  in 
bottles  and  the  cream  allowed  to  rise,  the  bottles 
11* 


234  KEEPING    QUALITIES    OF   BUTTER. 

being  kept  corked ,  to  prevent  evaporation  from  taking 
place  to  an  extent  sufficient  to  harden  the  surface  of 
the  cream.  By  shaking  the  bottle  it  was  found  that 
the  Dutch  cream  mixed  again  with  the  milk  with  the 
greatest  facility;  the  Ayrshire  cream,  less  readily ; 
the  Jersey  cream,  with  difficulty  and  imperfectly. 

EXPERIMENT  XIV. 

One  sample  of  Dutch  butter,  one  of  Guernsey 
butter,  seven  of  Jersey  butters,  and  three  of  Ayr- 
shire butters,  were  placed  in  a  cupboard  adjoining  a 
steam-heater.  A  few  days  later  another  pat  of  Ayr- 
shire butter  was  added. 

The  Guernsey  butter  was  very  high-colored,  melt- 
ing point  99°,  had  an  oily  rather  than  a  waxy  look, 
but  was  very  attractive.  It  moulded  in  spots  in 
about  a  mouth. 

In  seven  weeks  the  Jersey  butters  were  all  rancid, 
and  one  had  lost  its  color  in  spots,  the  white  spots 
reminding  of  tallow,  —  no  butter  flavor. 

The  Ayrshire  butters  were  not  rancid,  but  had  lost 
flavor  and  were  poor.  The  last  specimen  placed  in 
the  same  cupboard,  but  on  an  upper  shelf,  was  for- 
gotten. When  examined  three  and  a  half  months 
later,  it  still  retained  its  butter  flavor  and  taste,  but 
was  not  strictly  first-class. 

The  Dutch  butter  was  well  preserved,  being  neither 
rancid  nor  flavorless. 

The  butter  from  cows  of  the  same  breed  and  on 
similar  feed,  and  giving  the  same  quantity  of  milk, 


MILK   DIFFERENCES.  235 

made  from  the  same  milking  and  at  the  same  time, 
does  not  necessarily  present  the  same  color.  The 
color  for  the  Jersey  breed,  I  think,  is  yellow,  more 
or  less  deep,  and  tinted  with  orange.  That  from  the 
Ayrshire  cow  is  yellow,  often  a  deep  yellow,  yet,  so 
far  as  I  have  observed,  the  orange  tinge  is  lacking. 
The  Dutch  butter,  speaking  from  several  samples 
only,  is  light  yellow,  or  a  darker  yellow,  of  attractive 
clearness. 

The  predominant  feature  of  the  Ayrshire  milk, 
from  whatsoever  class  it  may  be  taken,  is  the  pres- 
ence of  numerous  granules  or  extremely  small  glob- 
ules, which  give  a  white  rather  than  a  blue  appear- 
ance to  the  skim-milk. 

The  predominant  feature  of  the  Jersey  milk  is  the 
size  of  the  globules,  the  tenderness  of  their  investing 
membrane,  and  the  small  quantity  of  granules.  The 
skim-milk  is  hence  blue,  and  does  not  readily  remix 
with  the  cream  upon  agitation. 

The  Dutch  milk  has  for  a  predominant  feature  the 
uniform  yet  small  size  of  the  globules,  and  the  com- 
parative absence  of  the  granule.  The  skim-milk  is 
blue,  yet  the  cream  can  be  readily  mixed  with  it  by 
shaking. 

A  curious  feature  brought  out  by  experiment  is, 
that  the  mixed  milk  from  two  breeds  did  not  produce 
as  much  butter  as  would  the  same  milk  churned  sep- 
arately. When  a  large-globuled  milk  and  a  small- 
globuled  milk  are  churned  together,  the  larger  glob- 
ules separate  first  into  butter,  and  the  breaking  of  the 
smaller  globules  appears  to  be  retarded.  Moreover, 


236  CHURNING    MIXED   MILKS. 

the  covering  to  the  globules  being  of  different  char 
acter,  those  of  one  breed  are  ruptured  more  readily 
than  those  of  the  other,  and  over-churning  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  product  is  inevitable.  Think  of  churning 
Jersey  milk,  which  will  make  butter  in  eight  minutes 
(see  Experiment  X),  mixed  with  Dutch  milk  which 
requires  an  agitation  during  sixty  minutes  (see  Ex- 
periment III)  for  the  same  produce. 

EXPERIMENT  XV. 

Two  samples  of  milk  were  selected  which  showed 
considerable  variation  in  the  size  of  the  globules. 
Twenty  fluid  ounces  of  the  Jersey  milk  were  divided 
into  two  parts ;  the  like  quantity  of  Ayrshire  milk 
was  similarly  treated. 

Jersey  milk.      Average  size  of  globules 5852" 

Ayrshire  milk.          "          "  "       7080" 

These  milks  were  then  cooled  to  60°,  and  churned 
by  shaking  in  a  Florence  flask. 

Ten  ounces  Jersey  milk.  Butter  came  in  five  min- 
utes ;  churned  eighteen  minutes.  Product,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  grains  of  butter. 

Ten  ounces  of  Ayrshire  milk.  Butter  came  in 
twenty  minutes  ;  churned  thirty  minutes.  Product, 
76  grains  of  butter. 

Thus  the  20  ounces  of  milk  churned  separately 
produced  212  grains  of  butter,  or  a  proportion  of  one 
pound  of  butter  to  44.75  pounds  of  milk. 

Ten  ounces  of  Jersey  milk  plus  ten  ounces  of  the 
Ayrshire  milk  mixed  and  churned  in  like  manner. 


LOSS   OF  PRODUCT.  237 

Butter  came  in  thirteen  minutes ;  churned  twenty 
minutes.  Product,  179  grains  of  butter.  After  this 
butter  was  removed  the  buttermilk  was  churned  ten 
minutes  longer,  without  producing  any  change  in 
the  result.  The  proportion  in  the  mixed  milks  is, 
therefore,  one  pound  of  butter  to  48.88  pounds  of 
milk. 

Difference  in  favor  of  churning  each  milk  separ- 
ately, 33  grains,  or  4.13  pounds  in  the  proportion. 

When,  therefore,  a  Jersey  cow  is  kept  in  an  Ayr- 
shire or  Dutch  herd  for  the  purpose  of  influencing 
the  color  of  the  butter,  it  is  probable,  in  churn- 
ing the  produce  of  the  herd,  that  the  large  globules 
of  the  Jersey  milk  are  broken  first  in  the  churn ; 
and  while  the  smaller  globules  are  being  broken,  the 
butter  which  first  came  is  being  over-churned,  and 
theoretically  at  least  the  quality  of  the  result  is  im- 
paired, if  not  the  quantity  lessened. 

When  a  few  Ayrshire  or  Dutch  cows  are  kept 
among  a  herd  of  Jerseys,  and  the  milk  churned 
together,  we  should  expect,  both  theoretically  and 
practically,  a  large  portion  of  the  butter  of  the  small- 
globuled  milks  to  be  left  in  the  buttermilk  in  the 
form  of  globules. 

A  like  application  may  be  made  to  herds  of  native 
or  grade  cows.  Unless  there  be  uniformity  within 
certain  limits,  in  the  milk-globule,  there  is  a  loss  of 
product.  When  uniformity  is  so  seldom  found  in 
external  shapes,  as  in  a  herd  of  natives,  it  is  not 
probable  that  any  greater  uniformity  exists  between 
their  functional  productions. 


238  SETTING  FOR   CREAM. 

The  bearing  of  these  facts  of  the  physical  construc- 
tion of  the  milks,  on  practical  questions,  such  as  the 
depth  of  setting  milk  for  cream,  etc.,  are  obvious. 
It  is  unsafe  to  arrive  at  empirical  conclusions,  and 
enunciate  such  as  a  law,  when  scientific  conclusions, 
which  give  the  reasons,  are  to  be  attained.  Thus  in 
reference  to  deep  cans  for  the  butter  dairy :  with 
Jersey  milk,  when  the  cream  rises  rapidly,  they  may 
be  the  best;  but  with  other  milks  coagulation  may 
occur  before  the  smaller  globules  have  reached  the 
surface.  Again,  the  quality  of  the  cream  of  the  dif- 
ferent risings  is  widely  different  in  the  churn.  The 
one  method  may  furnish  more  cream,  yet  no  more 
butter  than  the  other. 

It  is  thus  seen  how  both  those  who  claim  and 
those  who  deny  the  benefits  of  deep  setting  of  milk 
may  be  equally  right  from  the  standpoint  of  their 
own  practice,  while  both  may  be  equally  wrong  in 
applying  their  conclusions  to  other  people's  prac- 
tices, for  the  results  are  largely  brought  about  by 
the  physical  conformation  of  the  milk,  —  a  sufficient 
cause  for  differing  conclusions,  and  a  cause  whose 
influence  has  thus  far  been  entirely  overlooked,  in 
dealing  with  such  apparently  simple,  yet  really  com- 
plex problems  as  arise  in  dairy  practice. 

As  the  milk-globule  is  determined  as  to  size  and 
quality  in  great  part  by  inheritance,  it  is  thus  seen 
that  there  is  a  close  connection  between  the  breeders' 
effort  to  improve  stock  and  the  manufacturers'  effort 
to  improve  the  make  of  his  cheese  or  butter.  Minute 
differences  often  produce  appreciable  results  ;  and  he 


MILK   REQUIREMENT   AND   FULFILMENT.          239 

who  has  the  knowledge  and  disposition  to  select  and 
accumulate  these  differences  in  his  own  favor  is  the 
better  farmer  and  the  more  prosperous  man. 

FINALE.  —  MILK  REQUIREMENTS. 

For  Butter.  —  That  the  globule  should  be  of  good 
size,  of  uniform  size,  and  should  be  in  abundance ; 
i.  e.  a  large  percentage  of  cream. 

Requirement  best  fulfiled  by  the  Jersey,  Ayrshire, 
and  Dutch,  in  the  order  given. 

For  Cheese.  —  That  the  globule  should  be  so  small 
as  to  remain  mixed  with  the  milk  under  all  circum- 
stances ;  *.  e.  a  white  and  not  a  blue  skim-milk. 

Requirement  best  fulfilled  by  the  Ayrshire. 

That  the  globules  should  easily  remix  with  the 
milk  after  separation. 

Requirement  best  fulfilled  by  the  Dutch  and  the 
Ayrshire. 

For  the  Milk  Retailer.  —  That  the  globule  shall 
remain  for  a  sufficient  period  mixed  with  the  milk, 
so  that  an  evenness  of  quality  may  occur  during  de- 
livery to  customers. 

Requirement  best  fulfilled  by  the  Ayrshire  and 
Dutch. 

Farmer's  Requirement.  —  An  abundance  of  yield 
under  given  circumstances.21 

Requirement  fulfilled  in  the  order  Ayrshire,  Dutch, 
and  Jersey. 

21  Note  that  this  application  is  that  which  is  shown  under  the  circumstances 
of  same  locality  and  known  treatment. 


CREAM. 


WHEN  milk  as  drawn  from  the  cow  is  allowed  to 
stand,  there  is  immediately  a  change  in  the  relative 
position  of  the  milk-globules  in  the  fluid.  These 
globules,  so  fine  as  to  be  in  a  state  of  equilibrium  in 
the  fluid,  or  whose  specific  gravity  differs  so  slightly 
from  the  fluid  in  which  they  are  suspended  that  their 
position  remains  practically  unchanged,  retain  their 
distribution,  and,  after  a  time,  become  a  constituent 
of  the  skim-milk.  The  remainder  of  the  globules 
seek  the  surface  of  the  milk  to  form  cream,  with 
a  rapidity  proportional  to  their  separate  specific 
gravities. 

On  account  of  the  differences  in  the  size  and  spe- 
cific gravity  of  these  globules,  there  is  a  tendency 
towards  an  arrangement  of  the  cream  in  layers,  the 
largest  spheroids  being  at  or  near  the  surface,  the 
smallest  against  the  under  side  of  the  cream.  In 
consequence  of  this  arrangement,  we  find  in  cream 
an  uneven  product,  as  it  is  formed  on  the  milk,  each 
layer  presenting  a  different-sized  globule,  and  coiise- 

A  paper  read  at  the  American  Dairymen's  Convention,  Utica,  N.  Y.,  January 
12-14,  1875,  by  E.  LEWIS  STURTEVANT,  Waushakum  Farm,  South  Framingham, 
Mass. 


CEEAM.  241 

quently,  as  I  have  elsewhere  shown  in  my  writings, 
presenting  a  different  reaction  in  the  churn. 

Now,  each  layer  of  the  cream  being  different  and 
producing  a  different  character  of  butter,  it  is  evident 
that  one  layer  must  be  better  for  butter-making  than 
another.  It  has  been  so  determined  by  a  series  of 
microscopic  and  practical  experiments  combined, 
through  which  it  may  be  stated  as  a  rule,  that  the 
larger  the  milk-globule  the  quicker  the  churning 
and  the  better  the  butter,  other  things  being  equal. 
Hence,  in  practice,  the  first  cream  that  rises  on  any 
milk  is  the  richest ;  that  is,  it  produces  the  best 
butter,  and  this  butter  churns  the  quickest.  The 
second  skimming  furnishes  cream  poorer  for  manu- 
facture, and  the  last  skimmings  may  be  worthless  for 
high-class  butter.  Hence,  in  practice,  a  dairyman 
may  obtain  too  much  butter  from  his  milk,  the  in- 
crease in  quantity  not  sufficiently  compensating  for 
the  decrease  in  quality,  brought  about  through  the 
churning  of  globules  which  should  have  been  left  in 
the  buttermilk. 

We  recognize  a  liability  in  any  butter  to  vary  in 
manufacture .  from  week  to  week,  or  possibly  from 
churning  to  churning.  There  is  often  great  faith 
pinned  to  special  churns  and  to  special  modes  of 
practice.  Did  it  ever  occur,  that  cream  is  a  complex 
substance,  scarcely  alike  in  any  two  specimens,  and 
is  affected  not  only  by  the  circumstances  affecting  its 
rising,  but  also  by  the  food  and  condition  of  the 
cow? 


242 


CREAM. 


SPECIFIC  GRAVITY  OF  CREAM. 

What  is  the  specific  weight  of  cream  ? 

Berzelius,1  an  established  authority  on  chemistry, 
says,  1024.4.  Dr.  Yoelcker2  says,  1012,  1019. 
Letheby3  1013,  and  Dr.  Hanneberg,4  of  Stockholm, 
1004.9  and  1005.5.  It  is  an  American  authority, 
Prof.  L.  B.  Arnold,5  who  obtains  a  result  as  low  as 
985. 

In  my  own  experiments,  using  cream  from  the  top 
of  a  cream  jar,  I  have  obtained  a  specific  gravity  of 
983  by  weight ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  I  have  found 
cream  which  would  sink  in  water.  It  must  seem  ex- 
ceptional and  strange  that  such  an  apparently  simple 
product  as  cream  should  show  such  wide  discrep- 
ancies. If  authorities  are  right,  then  cream  is  not  as 
simple  a  substance  as  it  is  ordinarily  described. 

We  will  now  examine  some  analyses  of  cream,  and 
observe  what  the  results  teach  us. 

ANALYSES    OF   CREAM. 


Water. 
Mixed  Cream  °  .  .  .  59.25 
Country  Cream  7  .  .  49.00 
Jersey  Cream  ?  .  .  .36.40 
No.  1  8  ....---  74.  ifi 

Solids. 
40.75 
51.00 
63.60 
25.54 

35.20 
43.50 

38.33 
36.72 

Butter.  Caseine,  etc.  Sugar.     Ash.     Etc. 
35.0G          2.20            3.05            .50 
42.00          4.20            3.80            .60 
56.80          3.80            2.80            .20 
18.18          2.69            4.08            .59 

25.40                   7.61                   2.19 
31.57                   844                   3.49 

No.  2  .  .  .  .  , 

,  .  .  .  64  80 

No.  3  

No.  4  .  .  .  .  , 

,  ...  61  67 

33.43          2.62            1.56 
29.40          4.22           2.08 

.72 
.40          .56 

.   .  .   .  63.28 

1  Johnston's  Ag.  Chem.  p.  548.  3  Lectures  on  Food,  p  34. 

2  Journ.  R   A.  8.  1863,  pp.  317,  298.        *  Quoted  in  Ag  of  O.  1858,  p.  281. 
6  Sixth  Kept.  Am.  Dairymen's  Association,  1870,  p.  ItiO. 

6  Prof.  Muller,  quoted,  Trans.  Vt.  Dairymen's  Association,  1872,  p.  150. 

7  Dr.  Percy,  Trans.  Med.  ^oc.  of  State  of  N".  Y.  1860,  p.  47. 

8  Dr.  Voelcker,  Jouru.  K.  A.  8.  xxiv,  p  298. 

9  Dr.  Hamuberg,  quoted,  Ag.  of  O.,  1853,  p.  282. 


CKEAM   PERCENTAGE.  243 

We  find,  from  these  analyses,  that  some  creams 
may  yield  three  times  as  much  butter  as  other 
creams.  In  other  words,  that  a  milk  yielding  ten 
per  cent  of  cream  may  furnish  more  butter  than 
another  milk  indicating  thirty  per  cent  of  cream. 
As  the  form  in  which  the  butter  is  held  in  the  -milk 
has  much  to  do  with  the  practical  process  of  churn- 
ing, and  as  it  may  be  said  that  cream  cannot  vary  to 
any  very  great  extent  in  practice,  it  may  be  useful 
to  quote  the  result  obtained  by  Mr.  Horsfall,  in 
England,  where  a  quart  of  cream  yielded  16  ounces 
of  butter  at  one  time,  and  22  to  24  ounces,  and  even 
25  ounces  at  another.  At  the  time  that  he  obtained 
the  largest  result  the  indicated  cream  was  but  6J 
per  cent. 

In  order  that  our  conclusions  may  be  justified,  we 
will  offer  some  more  figures.  Prof.  Caldwell 10  re- 
ports that  Baumhauer,  in  Amsterdam,  examined  20 
different  samples  of  milk  in  this  manner.  Nos.  1 
and  3  were  found  by  chemical  analyses  to  have  re- 
spectively 2.7  and  3.5  per  cent  of  fat,  while  the 
cream-gauge  indicated  no  difference  between  them. 
Nos.  5,  10,  15,  18,  and  20  were  found  by  the  ac- 
curate chemical  method  to  contain  3.3,  3.0,  3.9, 
2.3,  and  2.7  per  cent  of  fat,  but  the  thickness  of 
the  layer  of  cream  formed  by  all  of  them  was  the 
same. 

We  have  still  another  illustration  derived  from 
four  cows'  milk  examined  at  different  periods.11 

10  7th  Report  Am.  Dairymen's  Association,  1871,  p.  44. 

11  Prize  Essay  H.  Soc.  1868-9,  pp.  69,  70. 


244  NOT   BUTTER   PERCENTAGE. 

APRIL  23.  MAT  28. 

Per  cent  Per  cent  Per  cent  Per  cent 

Cream.  Butter.  Cream.  Butter. 

No.  1........  11.5  2.386  12.0  2.404 

"    2 10.5  2.766  10.75  2.290 

"    3 12.5  2.153  13.0  2.661 

"    4 10.0  2.796  11.75  2.596 

We  are  now  prepared  to  assert  that  there  is  not 
necessarily  any  connection  between  the  cream  per- 
centages and  the  butter  yield.  The  holding  forth  of 
the  large  cream  percentage  yield  of  favored  breeds 
or  favored  cows  has  no  experimental  relation  what- 
ever with  their  butter  product.  The  modest  cow, 
with  a  small  cream  percentage  to  her  milk,  may 
make  more  butter  than  the  vaunted  cow  which  is 
supposed  to  average  25  or  30  per  cent  of  cream. 

The  whole  system  of  claiming  surpassing  merit  for 
a  breed,  through  any  one  superficial  feature,  is  an 
erroneous  one.  Of  what  practical  use  is  a  large 
cream  percentage,  if  the  relation  of  this  statement 
to  the  butter  product  is  not  established  ? 

A   DIGRESSION. 

Allow  me  to  digress  in  order  to  call  attention  to  a 
few  errors.  The  first  I  shall  take  up  is  that  the 
Jersey  cow  is  a  superior  butter  cow,  because  she 
yields  a  large  percentage  of  cream.  We  have  had 
no  evidence  offered  for  or  against  this  point.  An- 
other error  is  in  the  statement  that  there  is  more  of 
the  chemical  constituent  caseine  in  the  milk  of  the 
Ayrshire  cow  than  in  that  from  the  Jersey  cow.  We 
have  no  evidence  furnished  to  substantiate  any  pre- 
dominance of  caseine  in  Ayrshire  milk.  A  grievous 


DAIRY   TYPES   OF   COW.  245 

error  for  the  dairymen  is  that  of  considering  all  cows 
alike  which  give  milk,  and  either  placing  the  native 
cow  far  ahead  of  thorough-breds  for  his  use,  or, 
rarely,  the  corresponding  error  of  claiming  that  a 
thorough-bred,  as  a  thorough-bred,  is  superior  to  the 
native.  Now,  when  we  consider  that  the  thorough- 
bred and  the  native  are  of  value  only  as  they  serve 
the  uses  of  man,  we  must  have  a  higher  definition 
than  simply  purity  of  lineage.  The  thorough-bred 
derives  its  fame  on  account  of  being  bred  for  a  cer- 
tain use,  and  hence  is  considered  as  a  type  for  that 
use.  We  desire,  therefore,  to  breed  to  perpetuate 
this  type,  which  must  be  a  useful  one.  The  butter 
dairyman  must  seek  the  butter  type  of  cow,  and  the 
cheese  dairyman  the  cheese  type,  whether  this  seek- 
ing carries  him  towards  the  Ayrshire,  the  Jersey, 
the  American  Holstein,  or  the  Short-horn.  Let  the 
dairyman  discard  prejudice  as  to  the  name  of  a  cow, 
whether  native  or  thorough-bred,  and  seek  the  sub- 
stance in  a  type  which  is  to  be  most  useful  to  him. 
In  doing  this,  those  who  breed  their  own  calves  will 
naturally  make  much  use  of  the  thorough-bred,  and 
utility,  not  fancy,  will  settle  the  question  as  to  which 
type  or  breed  you  shall  seek.  The  importance  of 
this  digression  consists  in  the  fact  that  different 
milks  have  different  qualities ;  and  that  in  large 
herds,  very  often  one  or  more  particular  cow's  milk 
is  adding  but  little  towards  the  profit  of  the  butter- 
maker,  and  might  be  withdrawn  from  the  herd  with 
a  real  advantage.  The  dairyman,  if  this  be  true, 
should  seek  a  uniform  type  of  cows.  Is  it  not  the 


246  WHAT    IS    CREAM? 

want  of  uniformity  in  herds  which  can  lead  us  to  ask, 
Why  is  it  that  such  good  average  results  are  as  sel- 
dom obtained  from  the  milk  of  a  large  herd  as  from 
a  smaller  one,  except  this  matter  of  difference  in  the 
quality  of  milk,  which  in  the  larger  herd  has  not 
been  so  readily  perceived? 

Coming  back  to  our  subject,  we  will  again  inquire, 

WHAT   IS    CREAM? 

It  is  the  lighter  portion  of  the  milk,  which  is  col- 
lected from  the  surface  after  standing.  What  more  ? 
It  contains  butter,  some  caseous  matter,  a  little  sugar 
of  milk,  some  few  salts,  etc.  We  can  give  no  pro- 
portional or  more  exact  definition,  on  account  of  the 
great  variations  which  may  and  do  occur.  This 
cream  is  affected  differently  by  the  souring  changes 
which  occur  in  it  before  it  is  placed  in  the  churn. 
The  cream  from  one  class  of  cows  may  have  its 
"  churning  time "  hastened  more  by  twenty- four 
hours'  standing  than  another  specimen  of  cream, 
from  other  cows,  after  having  stood  thirty-six  hours, 
or  even  forty-eight.  One  cream  will  leave  more 
waste  in  the  buttermilk  than  will  another  cream.  In 
other  words,  the  analysis  of  the  churn  is  not  as  com- 
plete, in  every  case,  apart  from  the  fat  in  the  cream. 
One  cream  may  churn  w  all  in  a  lump."  That  is,  the 
butter  seems  to  "  come  "  at  about  the  same  time 
throughout  the  whole  mass  of  the  cream.  On  the 
other  hand,  another  cream  will  show  specks  of  butter 
long  before  the  general  mass  is  churned.  The  expla- 


CHURNING.  247 

nation  of  these  last  two  statements  is  the  difference 
in  the  size  of  the  globules.  The  more  uniform  their 
size,  and  the  more  uniform  the  strength  or  weakness 
of  their  membrane,  the  more  accurately  will  they  all 
rupture  at  one  time,  and  allow  the  butter  to  collect. 
Again,  as  only  the  globules  above  a  certain  size  are 
broken  in  the  ordinary  process  of  churning,  the 
cream  with  the  fewer  granules  (i.  e.  very  small 
globules)  would  be  expected  to  produce  the  most 
economical  results. 

CHURNING. 

In  the  churn,  cream  also  presents  differences.  One 
cream  can  be  easily  and  quickly  churned  by  a  regular 
and  even  motion,  while  another  may  be  benefited  by, 
may  even  require,  a  more  violent  agitation.  The 
dash  churn,  the  barrel  churn,  the  Blanchard  or  the 
Bullard,  may  each  and  all  be  the  best  churn  possible 
under  some  circumstances.  There  is  more  difference 
between  creams  than  between  the  best  specimens  of 
our  churning  machinery. 

DEEP   OR   SHALLOW    SETTING. 

We  now  approach  the  disputed  ground  of  deep  or 
shallow  setting  of  milk.  Perhaps,  pursuing  our  in- 
quiries without  prejudice  and  without  prepossession, 
for  we  have  experimented  with  neither,  we  may  be 
able  to  determine  the  question  theoretically,  in  a 
manner  which  may  deserve  the  confidence  of  practice. 

The  form-element  of  the  cream  is  the  globule. 
This  varies  in  size,  and  varies  in  specific  gravity. 


248  BUTTER  ANALYSIS. 

Being  lighter  than  the  fluid  in  which  it  occurs,  the 
tendency  of  each  globule  is  to  seek  the  surface.  The 
butter  which  we  are  striving  to  obtain  is  the  pure  fat 
of  these  globules,  as  free  from  foreign  matter  as  may 
be,  although  in  practice  we  find  other  substances  in 
butter,  as  below  :  — 


Butter. 

Caseine. 

Water. 

Sugar. 

Ash. 

84.75 

.5025 

13.695 

.71 

.095 

Prof.  Mueler.12 

86.27 

.94 

12.79 

.. 

Thompson.13 

82.70 

2.45 

14.85 

.. 

.. 

Prof:  Way." 

7(5.67 

3.38 

16.95 

.  . 

.  . 

do.  15 

79.12 

3.37 

17.51 

do.  15 

94.4 

Q 

K  q 

ift 

93.0 

•  O 

.3 

O.  O 

6.7 

'/. 

" 

do.  is 

87.5  1.0  11.5  ..  ..  do.  i« 

78.5  .3  21.2  .,  ..  do.1^ 

Let  us  see  what  would  be  the  effect  on  mixing 
artificially,  different  sized  bodies  in  water,  and  then, 
after  well  shaking,  leaving  the  vessel  containing  the 
lot  at  rest.  We  will  use  sand  for  an  illustration, 
because  the  principles  being  the  same  which  underlie 
the  process  of  acquiring  an  equilibrium,  whether  of 
lighter  or  heavier  material,  we  have  in  this  substance 
a  handy  one  to  study,  and  our  conclusions  can  be 
readily  verified. 

EXPERIMENTS   WITH   SAND. 

Suppose  a  handful  of  sand,  of  widely  different 
sizes,  to  be  violently  shaken  or  stirred  in  a  shallow, 
and  also  in  a  deep  dish  of  water.  What  effect  will 

12  Quoted  in  Trans.  Vt.  Dairymen's  Association,  1872,  p.  150. 
»  On  Food  of  Animals,  p.  63. 
«  Journ.  It.  A.  S.,  xi.  p.  735. 

15  Scalded  Cream,  Devonshire  method,  Journ.  R.  A.  S.  xi,  p.  735. 

16  Wagner's  Handbook  of  Chem.  Tech.  p.  559. 


DEEP  OK  SHALLOW  SETTING.         249 

the  depth  of  the  dish  have  on  the  arrangement  of  the 
sand?  It  will  be  found  that  the  particles  of  sand 
will  arrange  themselves  according  to  their  gravity  or 
size  as  soon  as  the  vessel  comes  to  a  rest.  In  the 
shallow  dish  'the  strata  of  sand  thrown  down  will  be 
somewhat  mixed.  If  the  other  dish  be  sufficiently 
deep,  the  sand  will  be  exactly  graded  and  arranged 
with  the  heavier  particles,  or  those  which  sink  first, 
placed  accurately  at  the  bottom  and  the  lighter  par- 
ticles at  the  top. 

In  deep  setting  of  milk  we  have  similar  conditions, 
only  reversed.  The  globules  acted  on  by  gravity 
arrange  themselves  in  order,  and  the  deeper  the  jar 
in  which  the  milk  is  set,  the  more  regularly  will  the 
globules  arrange  themselves  according  to  size,  from 
above  down.  In  the  shallow  setting  we  have  a 
greater  mixture  of  the  different  sizes  of  globules  in 
the  same  space  than  in  the  deeper  setting,  and  the 
deeper  the  setting,  the  more  completely  would  the 
globules  be  arranged  in  order  according  to  size. 
Such  being  the  physical  effect,  the  question  now 
arises,  What  effect  will  occur  in  practice  from  having 
cream  of  such  different  churning  quality  at  different 
depths?  for  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  size  of 
the  globule  has  a  strong  influence  on  the  churning. 

Let  us  seek  another  illustration  in  the  form  of 
various  sizes  of  shot.  If  we  place  a  gill  of  coarse 
shot  in  a  bowl,  we  can  add  a  considerable  quantity 
of  fine  shot  without  any  increasing  of  bulk,  as  the 
fine  shot  will  occupy  the  interstices  between  the 
larger  pellets.  So  with  the  globules  of  the  cream : 
12 


250  DEEP   OR   SHALLOW   SETTING. 

when  there  is  considerable  difference  in  their  sizes  as 
they  accumulate  together  in  rising,  there  must  neces- 
sarily be  more  butter  or  fat,  in  a  given  bulk  of  cream, 
than  when  the  globules  are  nearer  of  one  size.  As 
the  globules  are  more  completely  mingled  in  the 
shallow  setting  than  in  the  deeper,  the  cream  of  the 
shallow  setting,  bulk  -for  bulk,  should  contain  more 
butter  than  the  cream  from  the  same  quality  of  milk 
that  has  had  the  use  of  a  greater  depth  of  fluid  to 
arrange  itself  in. 

In  the  arrangement  of  the  globules  in  the  deep 
setting,  we  have  the  larger  globules  and  those  which 
are  easier  churned  at  the  top,  and  the  smaller  glob- 
ules, which  are  churned  with  greater  difficulty,  at 
the  bottom.  That  is,  there  is  more  difference  be- 
tween the  upper  and  lower  half  of  this  cream  than  in 
the  cream  of  the  shallow  set  milk.  In  the  cream,  as 
placed  in  the  churn,  we  have  a  more  complete  mix- 
ture of  the  various  sized  globules  in  the  cream  of  the 
shallow  setting  than  in  the  cream  of  the  deep  setting. 
With  creams  of  the  same  elementary  and  physical 
composition,  and  of  the  same  mechanical  mixture, 
we  should  expect  like  results  in  an  experimental 
trial.  When,  however,  we  see  we  have  not  the  like 
mechanical  mixture  in  these  two  methods  of  setting 
milk,  we  cannot  expect  equivalent  results.  Either 
the  one  or  the  other  method  must  experimentally 
prove  the  better,  according  to  the  composition  of  the 
milk  used.  In  order  to  illustrate  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  cream  or  of  dividing  a  sample  of  cream  for 
the  purpose  of  such  experiments,  let  us  refer  to  the 


VARIATIONS   IN   CREAM.  251 

writings  of  Mr.  Horsfall,17  who  records  that  he  took 
five  quarts  of  cream  in  succession  from  a  cream-pail 
and  churned  each  batch  separately. 

The  first  5  quarts  churned 127  ounces  of  butter. 

The  second  5  quarts     "       125        " 

The  third  5  quarts       "       120£       " 

At  a  subsequent  churning  of  14  quarts  of  cream, 
the  first  7  quarts  gave  175-  ounces  of  butter;  the 
second  7,  177  ounces  of  butter. 

Oftentimes,  nay  usually,  when  there  is  such  a  dis- 
crepancy of  result  between  the  two  churnings  from 
one  pail  of  cream,  but  the  operation  carried  "on  in 
churns  of  different  makes,  the  difference  which  hap- 
pens to  be  in  favor  of  one  churn  is  unhesitatingly 
ascribed  to  the  superiority  of  the  churn,  and  not  to 
the  superiority  of  the  cream  that  the  churn  acts 
upon. 

To  carry  on  a  series  of  experiments  which  should 
conclusively  prove  one  method  of  setting  milk  pref- 
erable to  another,  in  quantity  and  quality  of  butter, 
would  consume  much  time  and  labor,  and  would  be 
beyond  the  means  of  an  ordinary  dairyman.  If, 
however,  these  principles  as  enunciated  here  are 
accurate,  we  have  a  foundation  for  a  judgment  which 
should  be  correct. 

The  known  effect  of  gravity  in  arranging  particles 
of  differing  sizes  and  weight,  and  the  known  influ- 
ence of  the  globules  of  the  milk  in  churning,  lead 
me  to  assert,  from  a  theoretical  standpoint,  that  we 

"  Journ.  R.  A.  S.  1856,  p.  269. 


252  CONCLUSIONS. 

should  expect  a  larger  proportion  of  butter  from 
shallow  setting  than  deep  setting ;  but  if  there  was 
any  difference  in  quality,  it  would  be  in  favor  of  the 
deep  setting,  provided  there  was  neither  over-setting 
nor  over-churning. 

The  gist  of  my  paper,  and  whatever  importance  it 
may  deserve,  is,  that  it  attempts  to  show  that  cream 
is  uniform  neither  in  chemical,  practical,  nor  physical 
composition ;  that,  accordingly,  the  dairyman  must 
treat  each  sample,  or  the  average  of  that  which 
comes  under  his  care,  through  knowledge  —  that  is, 
by  science  rather  than  routine ;  that  dairy  prac- 
tices, in  cases  of  difficulty,  must  be  governed  by 
reasoning  rather  than  by  guess-work.  These  re- 
marks apply  to  milk  as  well  as  cream,  —  in  fact,  to 
the  handling  of  all  dairy  products. 


14  DAY  USE 

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